Kung-Futopia
by johnw57
Summary: Judy Hopps always thought the kung-fu legends of her childhood story books were fictional. Turns out she was wrong. During a vacation to China with Nick, they encounter Po and Tigress, brought to Zootopian times by a freak accident. As the four mammals deal with uncertain feelings and a mysterious villain, they must work together if Po and Tigress have any hope of getting home.
1. Chapter 1

It was a morning like any other. The sun was shining, mammals were out and about, and, Judy mused as she stared at the prone form in front of her, Nick Wilde was dead to the world.

"Nick." She said, jostling his shoulder. The fox turned and buried his head deeper in the pillows. "Nick!" She raised her voice, shoving the sleeping vulpine harder. He pulled the blankets over his head. "NICK!" she shouted, rolling him off the bed. Nick landed with a dull thud and opened his eyes.

"Whas goin on?" he asked groggily. Noticing Judy, he scrambled to cover himself with the fallen sheets. "Carrots, what're you doing here?!" He exclaimed nervously, successfully covering himself. Judy chuckled at his embarrassment.

"You're fine Nick." She laughed. "You slept in your clothes." Nick looked down and saw to his chagrin that he was dressed in his usual Hawaiian shirt and khakis. "The jet lag really got ya huh?" Nick looked puzzled for a few moments before he remembered where they were and his confusion cleared.

"Oh yeah," he said as he yawned, "so what's the plan Carrots?"

"Well," She began decisively, "I thought we could go see the ruins of the Jade Palace and then go on to the Pool of Sacred Tears."

"Sounds good Fluff." Nick responded, stifling a yawn as he walked to the bathroom. "Also," he added before he went in, "why're we in China again?"

* * *

Two Days Earlier…

"Hopps! Wilde! My office now!" Chief Bogo roared. Judy turned to glare at Nick who was seated in the chair beside her.

"What?" Nick asked.

"What did you do this time?" Judy said exasperatedly as they walked out of their office. Nick shot her a hurt look.

"Officer Hopps, I am a police mammal of _outstanding_ character. How could you ever suggest that I antagonize our dear chief?" he replied, maintaining his air of hurt dignity. "How am I to know that it wasn't _you_ who was the cause of this incident? Hmmm?" Judy stopped Nick cold with a glare that could melt ice.

"Did. You. Antagonize. Chief Bogo." She asked slowly and menacingly. Nick gave her a lazy smile.

"Of course I didn't Carrots. I may like to have some fun, but I don't have a death wish."

"Nick!" she shouted, "Last week you replaced the filling in Clawhauser's doughnuts with mayo and then offered one to the chief!"

"That my dear," he replied as they knocked on the chief's door "was fun."

"Come in" the chief rumbled as they opened the door. The pair entered his office and Nick hopped into the chair opposite the desk, helping Judy up as well.

"Sir," Judy began, "is something—"

"Hopps." He cut her off, while viewing a piece of paper "Wilde. You two need to take a vacation."

"What?" They replied, the confusion evident on their faces. Bogo put down the paper he had been looking at and slid it across his desk to the two mammals.

"Do you know what this is?" He inquired.

"Well sir, it looks like—"

"Rhetorical question Wilde." Bogo interrupted, frowning slightly at the fox's smirk. "This," he said tapping the paper, "is the time sheet for both you, and Officer Hopps. As you may know, I am required by law to give both of you two weeks of paid vacation per year. And you have yet to take it."

"But sir," Judy pleaded, "We don't need to take a vacation."

"I wouldn't exactly say no—" Nick started to say before a glare from his partner silenced him.

"Hopps," Bogo said tiredly, "it's not a matter of want or need. It's a matter of labor law, which as the chief of police I am both morally and legally bound to uphold. You will go on vacation and that is final." He said sternly, chuckling to himself as the bunny's ears fell. Only Judy Hopps needed to be forced into two weeks of paid vacation.

"That's all. Dismissed." He said, pulling out his phone. The pair descended from the seat and headed out the door, one dejected, one barely holding in their excitement. "Oh and one more thing," Bogo called as they were about to leave, "enjoy your vacation." He finished with a smile. Nick paused and smirked as a thought occurred to him.

"Hey Chief," he said slyly, "do you want to come with us?" The chief froze with surprise.

"Why would I go on vacation with you two?" He sputtered in confusion.

"Well," Nick said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "As chief of police, I'm sure you don't get much free time to do the things you enjoy. Like dancing." Bogo froze and looked at the fox with horror. " And as I've heard, you are one hot dancer." Bogo's eyes bulged out of his head as he bellowed with rage.

"WILDE GET OUT OF MY OFFICE THIS INSTANT!" The fox left the room at a sprint, closing the door behind him. Bogo sat back down at his desk and started banging his head against it.

"I. Am. Going. To. KILL. Clawhauser." He said, each word punctuated with a thud.

* * *

Judy looked up as Nick sashayed into their office, looking as smug as she'd ever seen him.

"Oh no." she muttered. "Nick, what did you do this time?"

"Moi?" he replied, pointing at himself with both paws, "Why I just invited Bogo to come with us on vacation. And he very rudely refused my offer I might add." He finished with mock indignation.

Judy shook her head and buried her face in both paws.

"Why do you antagonize him?" she asked to nobody in particular. "And why do we have to take a vacation?"

Nick jumped up on the chair with Judy and she looked up at him.

"Carrots, this isn't a bad thing." Nick began, "In fact, this is an opportunity!" Judy looked at him blankly. "Ok think of it like this: is there any place that you have always wanted to go to?" Judy cocked her head thinking. "Is there any place that you never thought you'd have the chance to go to?" Nick asked.

"Actually, there may be one…" She replied thoughtfully. "When I was little, there was this one storybook that was my favorite. It was all about the deeds of the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five. Kung-Fu masters and heroes of Ancient China."

"And?" Nick pressed eagerly.

"It was fictional of course." Judy replied. "Just a children's story. But the setting of the story, The Jade Palace, really did exist! And I've wanted to visit the ruins since I was a kit!" Judy finished her introspection and realized what Nick was saying.

"Nick," she said eagerly, "do you want to go to China and visit the ruins of the Jade Palace?!" Nick laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Now you're in the vacation spirit!" Nick replied. "Of course I'll go with you! Who else would I take a vacation with?!" Judy grinned and logged into her computer, pulling up airline fares to China and hotel rates.

"Yes!" She shouted triumphantly after ten minutes of furious typing. Nick, who had returned to his desk, looked over at the beaming bunny with an amused smile.

"Find something interesting Fluff?" he inquired.

"We're booked for our flight to China tomorrow night!" she said excitedly. Nick was visibly impressed.

"You work fast." He replied. Judy continued as Nick wandered over to her desk.

"I also got us a hotel room at a resort and," she added proudly, "we get a discount because we're ZPD."

"One hotel room?" Nick asked skeptically.

"With two beds in two different rooms." Judy retorted, bemused at Nick's skittishness. "Don't worry Slick," she teased leaning back in her chair, "I won't assault you when you're sleeping."

* * *

Present Day

"You know," Nick said as he exited the bathroom, "you broke your promise."

"What promise?" Judy asked innocently. Her keen ears detected some grumbling from Nick as he retreated to his room about sly, abusive bunnies.

"Hurry up and get ready! Otherwise I might have to, what was it? 'Abuse you' again!" She shouted with a smile

"I guess those ears aren't just cute after all!" Nick called back. Judy was about to respond when the door reopened, revealing Nick in a white linen shirt and green shorts. Her retort died in her mouth as she looked at him.

"What?" he asked defensively. "I can't wear my usual stuff, it's gonna be a long walk." Judy just shook her head.

"How is it," she pronounced slowly, "that in your home town of Zootopia, you wear the touristy Hawaiian shirt, yet when you are actually a tourist, you don't look like one?"

"My shirts are not touristy Carrots," he said airily as he walked past her, "they're vintage." Judy stared at him incredulously.

"Are you ready to go yet?" He asked smugly, poking his head back into the room. Judy shook her head and followed him out.

"Let's go!" She said slyly, "I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

* * *

Nick looked up at the seemingly endless staircase then turned to Judy.

"Carrots, this was supposed to be a vacation!" He complained. Judy shot him a smug smirk of her own and replied

"So there are two choices; this staircase, which leads to the ruins of the Jade Palace" she said, gesturing towards the unforgiving ascent, "or that mountain, home to the Pool of Sacred Tears." She finished with an elaborate flourish towards the nearby peak. Nick looked at the merciless and seemingly endless staircase, and then at the mountain, which while equally high, appeared to have a more forgiving path. He returned his gaze to Judy's face, noticing the vengeful gleam in her eyes and regretting his earlier snark.

"I choose death by mountain." Nick responded dejectedly, trudging towards the imperious mountain.

"Excellent choice." Judy said with an evil smile as she followed him.

* * *

Nick gasped for air as he hauled himself over the last ridge of the mountain.

"Finally!" Judy called from next to the pool, "I was beginning to get worried you got lost!" Nick looked at the bunny, who in her jeans and pink flannel shirt, had yet to sweat one drop. Nick rolled onto his back.

"I…. hate…. you…. so much." He wheezed. Judy stood up and sauntered over to the exhausted vulpine, helping him up.

"Come on Nick," she coaxed, "sit down by the pool and have some water." Nick glared at her as Judy led him to the water's edge, too tired to protest. He flopped to the ground and guzzled the proffered water.

"I…. will…. have…. my…. revenge…. Carrots." He continued. Judy couldn't help but feel a little bad for Nick in this pitiful state.

"Maybe the climb was a bit harsh for the first day of the trip." She ventured, "But look at the view!" Nick sat up with difficulty and couldn't help but be impressed. He could see the entire valley from up here, including the distant ruins of the Jade Palace. He smiled tiredly at Judy.

"It is pretty amazing," he conceded, "but I am not climbing that again." Judy started bouncing in excitement.

"Ooooooh! And look at that big rock! That's where Master Oogway invented Kung Fu!" Judy squealed.

"Where who now did what?" Nick replied, puzzled by her sudden outburst.

"Oh, Master Oogway taught Master Shifu, the master of the Furious Five in the old story book." Judy explained, her enthusiasm slightly dampened, "And he was the one who chose the Dragon Warrior, and this was where Master Shifu trained the Dragon Warrior!" She continued, excitement returning. "It's just so amazing to be here! To see it in real life!" Nick staggered to his paws, only to be knocked back down by Judy's tackle hug.

"Thank you so much Nick! I never would have come here if it wasn't for you." She blurted out happily. Nick hugged her back, but soon piped up.

"Uh, Judy…"

"Yes Nick?" she replied, still hugging him.

"You're crushing my ribs." Nick coughed.

"Oh! Sorry!" She scrambled to her paws and helped Nick back up with a sheepish smile.

"It's fine Judy" He replied, "Besides—" Nick was interrupted by a sharp CRACK and a wave of force blasted both him and Judy into the Pool of Sacred Tears. Nick surfaced gasping for air, and looked around wildly for Judy, who was already standing in the shallows, her jaw agape. Nick rushed over to her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked frantically, checking for signs of trauma, "Judy, are you ok?!" He shouted, grabbing her shoulders. Judy looked at Nick and pointed her finger across the pool. Nick's gaze turned to the opposite side and his jaw dropped too. Where, five seconds earlier, there had been no one, there now stood two figures, a tiger and a panda. The panda was wearing patchwork canvas shorts and the tiger was wearing an embroidered red silk vest and black pants. Their voices carried across the water.

"Hah! I told you I could use the spirit world to teleport us back here Tigress!" the panda shouted triumphantly. The tiger shook her head good-naturedly.

"You were right Po." She said. Judy gasped at hearing their names and everyone turned towards her.

"Umm, who are you?" the panda named Po called across the water, "And what are you doing at the Pool of Sacred Tears? It's, y'know, sacred and stuff."

"That's them." Judy whispered as the tiger stalked around the pool.

"That's who?!" Nick hissed frantically.

"Tigress of the Furious Five and Po, the Dragon Warrior."

"I thought those were just stories!" Nick whispered.

"So did I." Judy responded, shell shocked by this sudden revelation. Tigress arrived on the other side of the pool and looked down at them.

"Why are you at the Pool of Sacred Tears?" She demanded. Judy looked up at the tiger with awe in her eyes, but before she could speak, Tigress brushed past her and walked to the edge of the peak.

"Po…" she called uncertainly, "Come see this." Po jogged around the pool to the edge of the mountain where Tigress stood.

"I'm beginning to think something went wrong…" he said, his face falling as he gazed upon the ruins of the Jade Palace below.

"Oh you think!" Tigress yelled sarcastically. Nick and Judy exchanged a look as Tigress threw her paws in the air and stormed towards them with Po following.

"I think we might have a lot to talk about." Judy said as Tigress and Po drew near.

"You think?" Nick uttered sarcastically. Judy elbowed him as Tigress came up and offered her paw with a strained smile.

"Hi, I'm Master Tigress and this is Po. I think we might need your help."

 **A/N: Hi guys! This is my first real attempt at writing a story, so we'll see how it goes. Any and all feedback is appreciated. If it's negative, all I ask is that it is also constructive. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

Judy stared at Tigress's proffered paw and looked up in shock at her face. Nick, seeing Judy was still processing what had just happened, grabbed Tigress's paw and shook it firmly.

"I'm Nick Wilde and this is Judy Hopps. We're police officers" He said smoothly.

"Police officers?" Tigress replied, looking puzzled.

"We protect mammals and arrest criminals. We keep the law." Nick explained. Tigress nodded in understanding. They were like the kung-fu masters. They protected mammals.

"If you're 'keepers of the law,'" Tigress said slowly, "then you might be able help us."

Nick gave her a slight grimace. "We don't exactly live here." He said awkwardly. "We're from Zootopia, a huge city, miles away. We just came here on vacation."

"Oh." Tigress said in confusion, never having heard of such a place. She looked at Po, who was clearly as clueless as she was. Nick, seeing their perplexed expressions continued speaking.

"Never mind," he said quickly, still trying to figure out what exactly was going on, "What do you need our help with?" Before the tiger could answer, Judy interrupted.

"You weren't supposed to be real." She whispered. Tigress cocked her head, baffled, and looked at Po, who shrugged. "How are you here?" Judy asked, looking up at Po and Tigress.

"Well I was trying this new thing with the spirit world and—" Po began before being interrupted by Tigress.

"What do you mean we weren't supposed to be real?" She asked Judy, intensely curious about the bunny's reaction.

"I had this story book when I was a kid." Judy said, still shell-shocked, her ears drooping behind her head. "It was all about the adventures of the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior. But they weren't supposed to be real."

"Nobody ever knew you guys actually existed." Nick interjected when Judy fell silent again. "You were just a legend, a children's story." Po and Tigress looked at each other, devastated by what Nick had just relayed.

"What do you mean 'were'?" Po asked. "Where are we?" Nick sighed and thought for a moment.

"My best guess? You're a couple thousand years in the future." Nick said. Tigress growled angrily and glared at Po, who immediately threw his paws in the air and backed away.

"It was an accident?" He said hopefully, still moving backwards. Tigress stalked towards him slowly.

"You are going to fix this." She said in a low growl. "Or it will not end well for you." Po gulped nervously and nodded his head. Satisfied, Tigress turned back around to see Judy sitting by the pool dejectedly. She turned to Nick, who was staring at her with a pained expression.

Nick sighed internally, knowing exactly why she was so shocked and disassociated, but powerless to help her. Judy was a force of nature. A nigh unstoppable bundle of energy that would never give up. But her drive, her enthusiasm, and her energy were all tied to her foundational beliefs. She believed the best in mammals. She believed in justice and a world where mammals could make a difference. And she believed that the world made sense. That it was scientific and ordered. That fictional mammals didn't pop out of thin air and start talking to them. The sudden appearance of her childhood heroes had rattled her to the core and she wasn't sure what to do. Nick started towards her, hoping to do something, but he felt a paw on his shoulder, pulling him back. He looked back and saw that it was Tigress, who walked over to Judy by herself. Nick turned to Po as Tigress took a seat next to Judy.

"Does she do that often?" he asked in an undertone.

"Not really." Po replied in amazement, not sure what his friend was doing. Unsure how to deal with his current situation, Po started bombarding Nick with questions.

"So do you guys do kung-fu still? What's it like now? What happened to the Jade Palace? Are you and Judy dating?" Nick bristled at the last question.

"No we're not dating!" he said heatedly, "Why would you think that?"

"Because you seem close and friendly and y'know…" he trailed off uncertainly, clicking his nails together. They stood in silence for a few minutes, Po aware that he had hit a nerve on his last comment, until Nick spoke.

"So you're a kung-fu master?" Nick asked suddenly.

"Yep." He said proudly. "And I've saved China. Twice." He added for effect. Nick looked at him skeptically.

"Twice?"

"Twice." Po confirmed. "I also saved the Valley of Peace from Tai-Lung." Nick looked at him appraisingly.

"What? You don't believe me?" Po asked, noticing Nick's look. Nick shook his head.

"No, I believe you. I can usually tell when someone's lying to me. And if you are telling the truth, which I think you are," Nick added hastily, "I'm just wondering why you're only remembered in story books. With all that, I'd think that there would be a more historical record of you guys." Nick mused.

"Me too." Po replied grumpily, slightly annoyed he was only known as a fictional character. The pair passed the remaining time in silence, both of them wondering why Po and Tigress were forgotten. But they were interrupted when Tigress and Judy walked back over.

"What're you guys doing?" Judy inquired cheerfully, clearly feeling much better. Nick, who shocked by the sudden turnaround, froze momentarily.

"Oh! Er, Po and I just talked about some stuff." He replied nervously, remembering Po's question about their relationship. "Like why these two," he said gesturing towards Po and Tigress, "are only remembered as fictional characters in children's stories." Tigress frowned.

"It is quite interesting." Tigress responded thoughtfully. "We kept extensive records in the Jade Palace, but something must've happened to them." Judy thought for a moment and then bounced in excitement.

"We can go check the Jade Palace now!" She blurted out. The three other mammals turned to look at her and Nick cleared his throat.

"Uh Carrots," he began awkwardly, "I think they might be more interested in getting home." Judy's face fell as she remembered that Po and Tigress had to go back to their time.

"Actually," Tigress said anxiously, "I don't know if we can get home." Nick and Judy both turned to look at the tiger in surprise.

"What do you mean Tigress?" Po asked. "I got us here, I should be able to get us back."

"Because that worked out so well last time." She responded sarcastically. "Po, we barely know when we are! And I doubt you have the energy to get us back after getting us here! Right now, we need to figure out another way home. We need help." Po sighed. She was right. He didn't have the power to get them back. At least not now.

"What about the staff Oogway gave you?" Judy asked.

"What about it?" Po replied.

"He gave it to you in the spirit world didn't he? Maybe it has some special powers that could help you guys get home."

"It might." He agreed. "But, um," he continued, making himself smaller, "I may have, uh, misplaced it." Po said delicately. Tigress sighed in exasperation.

"It's not like I lost it on purpose Tigress!" Po said defensively. "And I know I left it somewhere in the Jade Palace."

"You mean the ruined one? That we haven't been in for thousands of years." Tigress remarked drily.

"We can still search it though!" Judy interjected excitedly. "Maybe it's still in there somewhere."

"I guess it's worth a try." Tigress responded, looking at Po for confirmation, who nodded his assent.

"Let's get going then!" Judy said, thrilled at the prospect of searching the Jade Palace with her heroes.

"Wait a minute!" Nick yelled as they started walking towards the path down, "Does this mean we have to climb those stairs?"

"Yep." Po responded gloomily. Nick groaned and started towards the path. As he walked by Tigress, he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"What did you and Judy talk about?" He asked quietly.

* * *

Tigress sat down next to the devastated bunny who was trailing her bare paws in the water, gazing blankly into space. Judy barely registered her presence.

"I remember the day my entire world was destroyed." The tiger began as she sat down and crossed her legs. Judy looked over, noticing Tigress for the first time. "It was the day Po was chosen as the Dragon Warrior. I remember it perfectly. Oogway had decided that it was time to choose the one who would take the power of the dragon scroll and become the Dragon Warrior. The one who could finally bring peace. The whole valley gathered to watch the choosing, expecting, as we did, the Dragon Warrior to be chosen from among the Five. It was the day I had trained my whole life for. Beating my paws to a pulp against the ironwood trees, training all hours of the day, doing everything I could to be the best, to make Shifu proud. Then in the middle of a demonstration, Oogway stopped everything, saying the Dragon Warrior was near, and walked down towards us, towards me. I was so convinced that I was going to be chosen. That I would finally fulfill my destiny. And then a panda fell from the sky." She snorted fondly. "Po, genius that he is, had attached fireworks to a chair so he could get inside and watch the ceremony. That panda launched himself right into the center of everything, right in front of Oogway, and Oogway chose him! I was shocked. Everything that I had worked towards and dreamed of was stolen from me by Po. A big, fat panda who could never beat Tai-Lung or be the Dragon Warrior."

"How did you become friends after that?" Judy asked tentatively, wondering why Tigress was sharing all this with her.

"Because after Po defeated Tai-Lung, I realized that I was wrong." She said simply. "Because the world didn't behave exactly the way I thought it would, and that's fine. Judy," She said emphatically, "I know that you aren't sure what to do right now and that our appearance caused it. But don't let that knock you down! The world is different from what you thought. So what? Get up and keep going." Judy gave a small smile, reminded of Nick's motto by Tigress's story, albeit a more positive version.

"Never let them get to you." Judy whispered. "Just keep moving." Judy stood up and hugged Tigress, who was both surprised and uncomfortable by the show of gratitude.

"Thank you." Judy said, unable to fully convey how grateful she was of Tigress's help. Tigress gave her an awkward smile and stood up as well.

"I think we should get back to the others now." Tigress said. Judy nodded her agreement and the two mammals walked back to where Nick and Po were staring into space.

* * *

"I just told her a story." Tigress said.

"Must've been some story." Nick snorted

"Trust me." Tigress replied looking at Po, "It was." Nick nodded to himself and turned to follow Judy down the mountain. Po hung back waiting for Tigress.

"Tigress," Po began timidly, "Sorry for getting us stuck here."

"It's fine Po." She sighed. "I know you didn't mean to. I just hope we can figure out a way back." Po smiled, glad that she wasn't mad with him and started walking with her down the mountain.

"Hey, why did you talk to that bunny?" Po asked. "You don't usually do that. Especially with strangers." Tigress thought for a few moments.

"Honestly Po, I don't really know why. I felt that I could help, so I did what I could." She answered.

"Why did you think you could help? Po asked curiously. "You just met her."

"She was in shock Po. Just like I was when a certain underqualified panda was named the Dragon Warrior." Tigress responded amusedly. The pair lapsed into silence as they continued down the trail.

"Do you think there will be anything left?" Po wondered, referring to the Jade Palace.

"All we can do is hope that something capable of helping us survived. If not, we'll have to find another way."

* * *

Nick looked at Judy as they walked down, unable to suppress a grin.

"What?" Judy asked looking at the fox's smile. Nick chuckled and returned his gaze to the trail.

"It's just nice to see my bunny feeling better." He replied merrily. Judy blushed at being referred to as 'his bunny,' and kept walking. "What exactly did you and Tigress talk about?" He pried, still curious about what the tiger had said.

"She just told me a story." Judy responded, giving nothing away. "But it had a good moral at the end of it. The world isn't what I thought it is. So what? I've just gotta keep going" Nick, though he didn't show it, was quite impressed by Tigress's advice. Especially given the effect it had on Judy. He turned around to see where they were and saw them deeply engrossed in conversation.

"So what do you think of them?" Nick asked.

"I like them." Judy said honestly. "Po is just like he is in my old book. Well-meaning, kind, and energetic. And Tigress is serious, but cares and helps people in her own way."

"If you like them Carrots, I'll defer to your judgement." Nick said. "But I like them too." They walked silently for a few moments until Nick began speaking again.

"Hey, what do you know about this saving China business?" Nick quizzed, hoping to learn more about Po's earlier claims. "Po mentioned it to me earlier." Judy screwed up her face and thought for a minute, trying to remember the stories she had read as a child.

"I think he saved China from a power hungry peacock named Shen." She said slowly.

"A what?!"

"A peacock. The book said it was something called a bird. Apparently he was worried about the prophecy of a soothsayer that foretold his downfall, and he tried to kill all the pandas to prevent it. He wasn't successful, but he killed Po's mother and his attempted purge caused his parents to banish him and he stewed for years, planning his return. When he finally did return, he came with a weapon he made that shot fireworks, basically a cannon, and tried to take over China. Po stopped him." Nick let out a low whistle, more impressed by the panda the more he heard.

"What about the second time?" Nick asked.

"The second time had something to do with the escape of a spirit from the spirit world." Judy began uncertainly, "I don't remember all of it, but apparently he used to be Oogway's best friend, Kai, but went power crazy and Oogway had to destroy him. Po banished himself to the spirit world and defeated him there in order to save everyone. That's when Oogway gave him the staff we were talking about earlier." Nick digested all of this information while they walked, his positive impression of Po reinforced.

"What about Tigress?" He inquired. "Where does she fit into all of this?" Judy laughed.

"Tigress," she started, "is the best of the Furious Five, and was Po's personal hero. She and the rest of the Five helped him against Shen and Kai. She's one of his best friends." Judy paused for a moment. "And I think he might have a crush on her." Judy snorted at Nick's face, which was frozen in surprise. "It's not that odd Nick." She said amusedly, "They're really close friends and have saved each other's lives on several occasions. I don't think you can go through stuff like that without some kind of bond forming."

"We're like that, and you don't see anyone thinking we're dating." Nick responded quickly.

"Have you seen Clawhauser? I'd be surprised if he didn't have a betting pool started in the precinct on us." Judy said mirthfully as she watched Nick's expression of shock reappear. "Oh come on Nick, you've got to have noticed some of it!"

"I did!" He said. "But I thought it was just Clawhauser!" Nick buried his head in his paws, hoping beyond hope that Clawhauser hadn't started a betting pool. Judy snickered at the fox's consternation, causing him to shoot her a wounded look.

"Oh it doesn't really bother you that much Nick does it?" She asked inquisitively. Nick stopped looking at Judy and kept moving forward.

"It doesn't." He responded mechanically, staring straight ahead. Judy rolled her eyes.

"Nick, I know you're hiding something." She said, growing tired of his antics. "So tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me." Nick replied neutrally.

"Come on Nick," Judy coaxed, "just tell me."

Nick checked behind them to make sure Po and Tigress weren't close enough to hear them, and stopped.

"It bothers me because they're right." He said quietly.

"What?" She replied, confusion clouding her face.

"They're right Judy! I do like you!" Nick shouted, unable to hold back any longer. "But I know you don't feel the same way and that's why it bothers me! Because I don't want my feelings and everyone's expectations to mess up the friendship we do have!" Nick turned around, scared and ashamed of his outburst, but was quickly spun back by the irate bunny.

"What do you mean 'I know you don't feel the same way!'?" Judy huffed angrily. "Of course I do you idiot! You're the best friend I've ever had and the only mammal I would trust with my life. So don't you dare," she continued, jabbing her finger at Nick, "say that!" Nick stared at the, now slightly tearful, bunny, an uncontrollable grin spreading across his muzzle.

"You do?!" He asked excitedly, feeling his heart grow light in his chest.

"YES!" She said exasperatedly. Nick's face lit up even more, and he hugged her, nearly cracking her ribs.

"You foxes," she coughed, returning the hug just as fiercely "so emotional."

* * *

Po and Tigress rounded the bend in the mountain and saw Nick and Judy clinging to each other like their lives depended on it.

"And he told me they weren't dating." Po muttered under his breath. Tigress smirked.

"AHEM!" She cleared her throat loudly, watching the pair rapidly disengage and face her, both blushing furiously. "Are we taking a break?" She asked, deadpanning. Nick and Judy shook their heads rapidly, and started back down the mountain, moving as quickly as their legs allowed them. Po waited until they were around the bend and burst out laughing.

"Did…you…SEE…the…look…on…their faces?" he wheezed, in between laughs. Tigress nodded, giggling uncontrollably. She felt a little bad about messing with the two mammals who had offered to help them, but hadn't been able to resist.

"Come on Po," she said, controlling her giggling, "we should catch up to them."

* * *

Judy pulled her ears over her face.

"That was mortifying." She groaned, wishing she could disappear into thin air.

"What? Embarrassed to be seen hugging your fox?" Nick teased, his spirits lifted by Judy's confession. Judy glared balefully at him from behind her ears, causing Nick to give her a smarmy grin. Judy huffed in response, but uncovered her face.

"I guess it could've been worse." She conceded reluctantly. "Besides," she added brightly, "we're almost to the bottom!" The pair walked the remaining distance down and waited for Po and Tigress, who were close behind, before going over to the Jade Palace stairs. Po looked up at the interminable pathway.

"My old enemy. Stairs." He said. He turned around as Judy giggled, and saw Tigress rolling her eyes at his dramatics.

"Come on." The tiger said, starting up the incline, "I want to make it up there before next century." Judy followed eagerly, easily keeping pace with the larger mammal. Po looked at Nick, who had a look of grim determination on his face, and the two started up the stairs together.

* * *

Tigress and Judy sat near the top of the stairs, watching their male counterparts struggling several hundred feet below.

"Does he always take this long?" Judy asked, amused by the similarities between Nick and Po. Tigress nodded her head lazily.

"It's taught me the value of patience." She responded. Judy sat in silence for a few moments, gathering the courage to ask Tigress the question that had been bugging her.

"Tigress, why did you help me earlier?" Judy asked softly. The tiger leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her knees as she thought.

'I don't know." She replied, unhappy with her inability to provide a better response. "It was just this feeling. I thought that I knew what was happening to you and that I could help. And your friend Nick just looked so helpless, I just, came over and talked to you." The bunny smiled, satisfied with the explanation, even though Tigress wasn't.

"What do you mean "Nick looked helpless?'" Judy asked.

"He was staring at you while you sat by the water." Tigress said, "He looked sad and desperate. I think he wanted to help you, but couldn't figure out how." Judy felt a surge of affection for Nick, touched by how he acted while she was indisposed. The two mammals sat there in companionable silence for a few more minutes until Nick and Po made it to the top. Nick sat down, breathing heavily, while Po flopped onto his back.

"I think I preferred the mountain." Nick groaned, feeling the ache in his legs. Judy rolled her eyes and went over to the fox.

"Come on Nick." She said, heaving the fox to his paws, "Lean on me if you're still tired." Nick grinned and staggered forwards with help from the bunny. Tigress smiled at the couple's interaction as Judy and Nick sat back down near her.

"What about Po?" Judy asked. Tigress waved her paw dismissively.

"He'll be fine." She said, used to Po's habits.

"No thanks to you." Po reprimanded her as he pulled himself to his paws. Tigress snorted.

"Are you ready to go now?" She asked, her voice laced with sarcasm. Po nodded, still breathing heavily, and Judy pulled Nick to his paws once more. Together, the four of them walked into the ruins of the Jade Palace. Nick and Judy gasped in amazement as they entered. Even though pillars were crumbling, the floor was pulverized, and the ceiling was rotting and full of holes, the ethereal beauty of the once great structure was clear. Beside them, Po and Tigress viewed the Palace sadly, depressed at seeing their home in such a state.

"Where would the staff be?" Judy asked, tearing her eyes away from the ruins.

"It wouldn't be where Po would think to look." Tigress said. "Most likely, Shifu found it and moved it."

"Then where are we supposed to look Tigress?" Po asked, feeling annoyed. "It's not like Shifu had some vault where he kept all the powerful kung-fu artifacts!" Tigress smiled at Po sheepishly.

"HE DOES?!" Po shouted in amazement. "Why don't you guys tell me anything?" He groaned.

"Shifu told us not to." Tigress replied calmly. Po glared at her, but soon his excitement took over.

"Where is it? What's in it? Does Shifu use any of it? How do you know about it?" Po asked, bombarding Tigress with eager questions.

"And this is why he didn't want us to tell you." Tigress said tiredly. "There's a hidden chamber in his rooms. And he only told us in case something happened to him."

"Let's go then!" He said, all traces of exhaustion gone as he yanked Tigress towards Shifu's quarters. Nick and Judy followed, still entranced by the ancient ruins, and nearly bumped into Po and Tigress who had halted inside a modest side chamber.

"Step back." She warned, causing all three to retreat. Tigress took a deep breath and struck the wall with incredible force, causing the outline of a door to appear in the wall.

"This," she grunted as she slid the hidden door aside, "is Shifu's vault." Po, bouncing in place, craned his neck to see past Tigress into the vault.

"Argh!" He shouted, disappointed, "Is that all there is?" The four of them entered the small, hidden chamber to see there were only two items. Po's golden yin-yang staff and a dusty and dulled red scroll case. Tigress looked around the rest of the vault, clearly concerned.

"What's wrong Tigress?" Nick asked, noticing her agitation.

"There are supposed to be many more things in here." She said. "Dangerous things that were in here for a reason." She shot a dark look at Po, who nodded in understanding.

"At least we have the staff." Po said, picking it up. Nick and Judy shot each other questioning looks that held the same message. What were Po and Tigress talking about? Judy shook her head at Nick. The message was clear, 'not now.'

"What's this?" Judy asked, picking up the battered scroll case. Po squinted at it.

"I think that's the Dragon Scroll." He said, puzzled by its presence in the vault. "Tigress, didn't you say Shifu only kept really powerful artifacts in here?" He asked, turning to the tiger. She nodded absentmindedly.

"We should leave now." She said checking outside the door. "Something odd is going on here." Nick and Judy exchanged worried glances and Po tucked the scroll into the back of his pants. The four of them headed for the former Hall of Heroes, Tigress leading the way.

"Maybe I was wrong." She said, emerging into the empty Hall. Nick, Judy, and Po all let out sighs of relief and continued out through the door.

"Lovely! You found the staff!" An unseen voice declared as they exited the Jade Palace. "I'll be taking that then."


	3. Chapter 3

Nick whipped his head around, searching for the voice, as Tigress and Po assumed ready stances.

"Who are you?" Po called, glancing around the entrance to the ruins as he and Tigress began to search.

"You're looking in the wrong place." The unseen speaker sang. Nick looked at Judy, who had produced a Taser from somewhere on her person, and raised an eyebrow, causing her to shrug sheepishly. Tigress's eyes flitted from place to place before finally settling.

"There you are." Tigress growled, her eyes narrowing, as she spotted an indistinct figure standing atop the roof of the Jade Palace.

"Finally!" The figure shouted. It leaped into the air and jumped towards the group, landing gracefully several feet away. Po and Tigress immediately faced the figure, ready to fight. It was dressed in a sky blue embroidered silk vest with black pants. A carbon copy of Tigress's outfit, but in blue. "I couldn't have made it easier!" The clouded leopard said exasperatedly. "On top of the roof, backlit by the sun. Does anyone look up anymore?" Tigress and Po exchanged curious looks as the leopard complained.

"What's up with her voice?" Po muttered. "It sounds…weird." Nick let out a sigh.

"It's an accent Po." Nick said tiredly.

"I know that." He said defensively, keeping his attention fixed on the relaxed feline "I've just never heard one like that before."

"Who are you?" Judy asked warily, checking their immediate surroundings for others.

"Oh, me? I'm Asha." She said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "And you're Po, Tigress, Nick Wilde, and Judy Hopps." The four mammals visibly tensed. "Oh relax." She continued, "I'm not here to fight you, I'll just take that staff," she said, gesturing at the one in Po's grasp "and be on my way."

"Uh, no!" Po responded indignantly, "That's not going to happen."

"I think you misunderstand me." She said languidly, studying her claws, "I'm getting that staff, one way or another."

"Over my dead body!" Tigress snarled, starting forward.

"I would hate to ruin such a pretty face." Asha replied flirtatiously, stopping Tigress in her tracks, "But I will if I must."

"Is she… hitting on me?" Tigress asked uncomfortably, glancing at Po, who was equally surprised.

"Well this should be interesting." Nick said, chuckling at the flabbergasted pair. Judy stared at him disapprovingly.

"And you're quite the handsome one too." Asha interrupted, stopping the fox cold. Judy glared at the leopard. "Oh I see." She said with a wink, "He's taken." Judy shifted nervously, distracted and distressed by Asha, who laughed as she surveyed the four tense mammals, who had clearly been shaken by her actions thus far.

"As amusing as this has been," Asha started, "my associates and I will take that staff now." Judy spun around and saw that two of Asha's henchman had snuck up behind them while they were distracted. She mentally berated herself for allowing the wily leopard to subvert her attention.

"Final warning." The leopard said, all traces of the earlier playfulness replaced with deadly seriousness, "Give me the staff or I will take it from you." Tigress responded by pouncing at the leopard.

"I'll take that as a no." She said, swaying on her paws to dodge Tigress's attack. Nick and Judy turned to face the two henchman, one of which was a brutish looking coyote, the other a scraggly wolverine. Both were dressed in different colored variants of Tigress's outfit. Po turned his attention to the coyote, trusting that his friend could handle Asha.

"I'll take him." He said, gesturing at the coyote. "You two deal with the other guy."

Nick spared a brief glance at Po, before realizing that the wolverine had started his attack, launching a series of elaborate kicks and punches at Judy, forcing her to retreat as she avoided them. Nick rushed to help her as she moved further away, but before he could get there, he watched Judy stepped inside the wolverine's strike and plunged her Taser into his unprotected neck. Nick winced as he heard the crackle of electricity and smelled singed fur. Judy jogged back over to him.

"Maybe you should try helping Slick." She said playfully, teasing the vulpine. Nick rolled his eyes and turned around, just in time to see Po fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Well there's my opportunity." He said, starting towards the incapacitated panda. "I'll help him, you help Tigress." Judy spared Po a worried glance before rushing towards where Tigress was fighting Asha.

* * *

Tigress hissed in frustration as Asha blocked her blows with contemptuous ease.

"Did you expect an easy fight?" Asha panted with a feral grin, stepping away from Tigress. "I've trained since I was a cub! I can take whatever you throw at me!" Tigress surveyed her opponent critically as they began to circle each other.

"You are skilled." Tigress responded slowly, "But," she paused as Asha stumbled slightly on a divot in the stone that Tigress had noticed earlier. Tigress was on her in a flash. Asha stumbled back, desperately trying to block the onslaught, but completely off balance. Tigress swept her feet out from under her and pounded her body into the ground, cracking the paving stones, "you never learned to mind your surroundings." Asha let out a wheezing laugh on the ground and slowly staggered to her feet, much to Tigress's surprise.

"Well done," she said, repositioning herself in a shaky fighting stance, "but it's going to take a lot—" Asha stopped suddenly, her body convulsing spastically, and fell to the ground, revealing Judy standing behind her, holding the Taser.

"Is 10,000 volts enough for you?" Judy asked innocently as the leopard twitched on the ground. Tigress looked at the Taser in Judy's paw in wonder.

"What IS that?" She asked.

"It's called a Taser." Judy explained. "It uses electricity, which is like lightning, to shock and subdue mammals." Tigress shook her head, impressed but slightly annoyed. A device that used lightning to subdue others was cheating. Tigress looked over at Asha's henchman. The wolverine was lying on the ground, knocked out by Judy, and the coyote was leaning against a crumbling pillar and cradling his arm gingerly under Nick's watchful gaze. She returned her gaze to the fallen leopard who had finally passed out from pain and literal shock.

"What're we going to do with all of them?" Tigress mused aloud, "And where's Po?" Judy cleared her throat and pointed to the unmoving mound of black and white fur a few feet from Nick, causing Tigress to run over immediately.

"Is he ok?" She asked Nick urgently, as she knelt down next to Po, flipping him over so she could take his pulse, "What happened?"

"This happened." He responded, pulling a green tufted dart out of his pocket and handing it to her. "Courage the cowardly coyote here was losing so he pulled a tranq gun on Po." Tigress looked at him, still confused as to what happened. "A tranq gun shoots darts filled with sedatives." He explained patiently. "Po will be out for a while." Tigress nodded, her worries quelled.

"What'd you do to him?" Judy asked, gesturing at the whimpering coyote. Nick glanced contemptuously at the wounded mammal.

"I think I broke his arm." Judy's eyes widened in surprise, causing Nick to respond, "I know how to fight Judy."

"I know." She said defensively, "I just didn't know you would break someone's arm." Nick raised an eyebrow.

"You're right. It's not like I flooded some mammal's entire body with a crippling amount of electricity." He responded dryly. Judy flushed at his response.

"He attacked me Nick! What was I supposed to do?" Judy's indignation petered out as she realized the hypocrisy of her earlier statement. "Oh." She said, her ears drooping behind her head. "Sorry Nick."

"It's fine Fluff." Nick responded, his point made. "I don't usually go around breaking arms and I wasn't even trying to break his. It just kinda, happened"

"I hate to interrupt." Tigress interrupted unapologetically, rising from Po's side. "But what are we going to do with these three?" Judy eyed the coyote and wolverine critically.

"I'm not sure about these two, but we should probably cuff Asha..." Judy trailed off as she surveyed where Asha had been lying a few moments earlier.

"Sweet cheese and crackers." She cursed under her breath. "How'd she get away?! She was unconscious!"

"She must have been faking it." Nick said resignedly.

"How could she fake it?!" Judy asked, her voice rising in volume, "Tigress pounded her into the ground and then I tased her!"

"She was clearly trained." Tigress replied. "And reaching that level of skill without learning how to take a beating is impossible."

Judy scowled, her good spirits soured by Asha's escape. "At least we have these two." She said turning back to their captives. Judy walked over to the unconscious wolverine and dragged him back to where the others were. "And they will not escape." She finished firmly, cuffing him to the coyote.

"Uh Judy," Nick began nervously, wary of the angry bunny, "where did you get those handcuffs?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." She muttered darkly, still incensed at the leopard's escape.

"We should move." Judy said as she dusted her clothes off, noticing for the first time the amount of dust and dirt that had accumulated on her. "She could be back." Nick nodded in agreement.

"I know a place we can hide." Tigress said as she slung Po over her shoulder, grabbing the staff up off the ground with her other paw.

"Lead the way." Judy said.

"Pick up your friend." Nick addressed the coyote. "We need to go."

"I can't carry him! My arm's broken!" The coyote protested.

"One of them isn't. Use that one." He said evenly. The coyote opened his mouth, ready to argue some more, but snapped it shut when he saw Judy's fingers tapping impatiently against her Taser. He picked up the wolverine with his good arm, wincing as he settled him on his shoulder.

"That's the spirit!" Nick said sarcastically, "Now come along." Nick frog marched the captive coyote to where Tigress was standing at the top of the stairs. Judy followed behind.

"Where exactly are we going?" Nick queried as Tigress started down the stairs.

"Someplace safe."

"Well that clears it up doesn't it." He muttered under his breath as he forced the coyote in front of him down the stairs. As they walked down, Nick eyed the sullen bunny beside him, frowning at her consternation. She needed to stop beating herself up over Asha's escape. He opened his mouth to say as much when suddenly Tigress stopped to intensely inspect a misshapen rock that bordered the stairway

"Here we are." Tigress said. Nick and Judy exchanged concerned looks as the tiger walked off of the stairs and onto a narrow mountain path while holding Po.

"Uh, Tigress, what're you doing?" Judy asked. The tiger looked over her shoulder at the concerned pair.

"It's perfectly safe. Come on, there's a place just around the bend." With that, she marched out of view, leaving Nick and Judy with little choice but to follow.

"Go on." Nick said, prodding the nervous coyote, "You heard her, it's perfectly safe." The coyote, who was deathly afraid of heights, shook his head furiously, unable to speak.

"We don't have time for this." Judy huffed irritably, dragging the resisting coyote onto the path. Nick followed her, chuckling as the inexorable bunny pulled the coyote around the bend. He followed closely, almost colliding with Judy, who had stopped at the edge of the mountain, with a sheer drop the only thing ahead of her. Nick looked around, searching for Tigress, but only seeing Judy, the quivering coyote, and the wolverine.

"Uh Tigress?" Judy called out tentatively.

"In here!" Came her distant voice from a crevice next to the path. Nick ducked inside the hidden cavity to discover it hid a vast cavern, honeycombed with smaller caves and tunnels. Judy followed, pushing the captives in front of her. Tigress walked out of one of the tunnels.

"We should be safe here. The only people who know about this place are me and Po." She said briskly while taking possession of the captives. "We'll put them in the dungeon."

"You have a dungeon?" Nick asked incredulously.

"It was here when we found it." She responded over her shoulder, exiting into another tunnel. Nick shook his head in amazement.

"Who just finds a cave with a dungeon?" He muttered, taking a seat on a long, low rock shelf. Judy plopped down next to him with a sigh, looking tired and disappointed. Nick looked at her sympathetically.

"Come here Carrots." He said, putting his arm around her and pulling her closer to him. She offered only token resistance, and then rested her head against Nick's shoulder.

"You know," he said as he stroked her head, "you really should stop blaming yourself for Asha."

"I'm not blaming myself Nick." She responded grumpily, pulling her head away from his hand.

"Sure, and I don't owe thousands in back taxes." He replied, earning a glare from the bunny. "It wasn't your fault that she got away."

"It was though Nick. I didn't watch her and she slipped away. And I let her cronies sneak right up behind us."

"Alright and?" Nick countered, "It wasn't just you Judy. There was me, Tigress, and Po. We all let them sneak up on us too! And we were just as culpable for Asha getting away. We're partners Judy, when something happens it isn't just your fault, it's mine too." Judy sighed again and slumped back against his shoulder.

"You win Nick. It was your fault too."

"Finally." He chuckled, putting his arm back around her.

"By the way," she said, snuggling up closer to him, "when you said we're partners, did you mean work partners, or 'partners' partners?"

"Both? I mean, we are dating now right?" he asked cautiously.

"Of course we are." She said happily.

"Just checking." He replied with relief.

"Sure." She said drowsily as her eyelids began to droop. Nick held back a chuckle as the bunny let out an enormous yawn.

"That is quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen." He said when she was finished, eliciting a stern look from the lapin. "What? Don't tell me I'm not allowed to call my girlfriend cute." Judy opened her mouth to respond, "And me calling you cute isn't because you're a bunny it's because you are cute." Nick inserted quickly before Judy could scold him.

"Alright." She sighed, too tired to argue. "But don't abuse it."

"Me? Abuse it? Perish the thought." Judy rolled her eyes and returned her head to its resting place on Nick's arm, using the fox like a warm, fluffy pillow as she drifted off to sleep. Tigress walked in to see Nick gently extricating himself from the sleeping bunny's grasp and gave him a quizzical look. Nick put a finger up to his lips, then proceeded to give Tigress a slew of hand signals that meant absolutely nothing to her. She shrugged her shoulders helplessly and gestured towards the room where she had dropped off Po. Nick nodded his head and followed her in. Tigress led Nick down a small tunnel that opened up into yet another spacious cave, with Po draped over a rock shelf, the staff lying next to him.

"Sorry." Nick said, "She was pretty tired and I thought she could use the rest." Tigress nodded in agreement. "So what is this place?"

"It's a cave." She said flatly, sitting down on the shelf next to Po.

"Really? I didn't notice." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "So how did you find it? And how does light get in here?"

"We were just exploring around the Jade Palace one day and we found it. It had these rock benches already carved out, and it is built along the side of the mountain. There are enough cracks and crevices that the light just filters in." she said, rapping the rock beneath her for emphasis, "There also happened to be a dungeon."

"And that didn't seem odd at all because?" He pried.

"It was odd. It still is. I was planning to check the Palace archives for some record of the cave and its use, but then Po got us stuck here."

"Oh." Nick stood there awkwardly with Tigress staring at him. "So do you have any ideas?" She narrowed her eyes at him. Nick, picking up on Tigress's not so subtle warning signs to stop asking about the cave, quickly changed the topic, "So do you and Po go exploring a lot?" He asked.

"When we're not training. So in Po's case, often." She said dryly. Nick chuckled.

"So what else do you guys do?"

"If we're not training, then sometimes we'll go down to the village and have dinner at his dad's restaurant and walk around, talk to people, make sure everything's all right, that sort of thing."

"All six of you?"

"Typically, but sometimes it's just Po and I."

"So like a date?" He asked slyly. Tigress bristled.

"No not like a date! We're just friends!" She said vehemently. Nick raised his hands in conciliation.

"Ok, ok I get it. Just friends." He said evenly. Tigress nodded her head in confirmation. "So what's the plan now?"

"We should be safe here, but we need to know more about Asha. Hopefully, our friends in the dungeon will be able to tell us who she is, where she's from, and what resources she has at her disposal."

"Agreed." Nick said, "You can interrogate them, and Judy and I can head back to our hotel and grab our stuff." Tigress mulled over Nick's proposal, worried about Asha tracking them down when the duo returned for their belongings.

"Be careful." Tigress warned, "Asha knows who you are and could be looking for you."

"I've had mammals a lot more dangerous than her after me before." Nick scoffed, "Judy and I will be fine. We're both highly trained police officers." Tigress frowned as Nick brushed off her concern but didn't press the issue.

"Tigress, we'll be careful. Don't worry." He said, noticing the frown. "Besides, you should be worrying about getting home."

"That would be his job." She responded, poking the sleeping panda.

"Huh?" Po groaned, "What happened?" He asked holding his head in his paws while he sat up.

"You were drugged." Nick said, watching the panda stagger to his paws rubbing his backside. "Clearly it wore off." Nick watched as Po removed the Dragon Scroll from the back of his pants.

"Ahhhhhh." Po sighed, placing it on the shelf besides the staff. "Much better." He sat back down, the pain from the scroll relieved. "So what's going on?"

"You were knocked out, I beat up Asha, Judy tased her, we both got distracted, she got away, we're in the cave you and I found last week, and Asha's henchman are in the dungeon." Tigress summarized.

"And Judy and I will be going back to our hotel to get our stuff and some food." Nick added.

"You didn't say anything about food." Tigress commented.

"Well I don't know about you Tigress," Po started, "but us regular mammals need to eat." Nick nodded his head sagely.

"Well said Po." Nick agreed "Now, I'm going to go wake up Judy and then we'll head out. See you in a few hours." And with that, the vulpine marched out of the room to waken the slumbering bunny.

"What now?" Po asked Tigress as Nick left.

"I guess we interrogate our captives." She replied tiredly.

* * *

"Nick, you should've woken me up." Judy scolded as they walked down the stairs to the Jade Palace.

"Don't be ridiculous Carrots, you were exhausted." He replied. "Besides, I wanted to talk to Tigress alone and see what I could find out."

"Anything interesting?" She inquired.

"She can have a bit of a short temper, but that may be just because of the circumstances, and she acts fairly serious. Oh, and I'm pretty sure that she likes Po." He responded with a grin. "I asked her about it and she got angry and vehemently denied it."

"How conclusive." Judy quipped.

"Does that reaction remind you of someone? Perhaps a certain dashing fox?" He continued, undeterred by her doubts. "I happen to have personal experience in this area Fluff. There's no smoke without fire." Judy rolled her eyes.

"You sound like a bad headline from the Zootopian Inquirer Nick."

"You wound me with such harsh words Carrots." He said dramatically, clutching his chest. "My heart can hardly take it! Only a kiss could save me now." He finished, looking at Judy out of the corner of his eye, causing her to snort in amusement.

"Later Nick." She admonished, "We have things we need to do."

"I'll hold you to that." He warned jokingly as they descended the last of the steps. "So you think Po has a crush on Tigress huh?"

"I don't know." She responded with a shrug as they started the trek to the hotel. "All I really know is that in the stories that I read Tigress is Po's best friend and remained one of his heroes even after he became the Dragon Warrior."

"Come on Carrots," Nick prodded, "You have a little more than that."

"I don't know Nick! I made inferences. I loved their adventures and when I was a kid I desperately wanted them to end up together." She quickly shut her mouth, having unwittingly revealed one of her most embarrassing secrets. Nick raised an eyebrow upon hearing of her childhood obsession, but kept going anyways.

"So in your, I believe the kids now call it 'shipping,'" Nick lightly teased, "were you absolutely certain that he had a crush on Tigress?" Judy let loose an internal sigh of relief that Nick didn't make a big deal of her childhood hobby.

"I was pretty certain." Judy said slowly. "There was nothing conclusive, but the circumstantial evidence piled up quickly."

"Like what?" He asked as they walked up to the hotel.

"Like the stuff we did Nick!" She retorted, getting tired of his incessant questioning. "Spending all their free time together, joking around, risking their lives for each other, that sort of thing." Nick smiled upon hearing this.

"Oh they definitely have crushes on each other." He said gleefully while holding the door for Judy.

"Why are you so interested in this exactly?" She asked as they crossed the lobby.

"Maybe I'm just a romantic Carrots." He said, pressing the call button, "But if they like each other, why shouldn't I try to help them be happy? They helped you." The elevator arrived with a ding. The two stepped inside and Judy thought about what Nick had said. Sure they didn't know Po and Tigress very well as mammals, but Judy did know of them and all the good they had done. Then she remembered the feeling of pure joy that had filled her entire body when Nick had finally confessed his feelings. If any mammals deserved that, she thought, it was Po and Tigress.

"You're right Nick." She said as the elevator opened onto their floor.

"Ah, my three favorite words. What was I right about this time?"

"That we should help them get together." She replied, grinning at his facetious response.

"Excellent!" Nick said, rubbing his paws together as Judy opened the room. "Now—" He was cut off by Judy making a shushing motion with her had. She pointed her paw at a light inside one of the bedrooms.

"Did you leave the lights on?" she mouthed. Nick shook his head and Judy pulled out her Taser. Together they stealthily approached the room and saw a pair of paws hanging off the edge of the bed. As they crept up towards the room, they heard a groan and saw the mammal sit up.

"That Taser packs quite a punch Judy." Asha called from the room, causing them to freeze in their tracks. "Oh come in, I don't bite." She paused for a moment, and then rephrased, "Actually I won't bite. At least not yet." Judy looked at Nick, who shrugged his shoulders, and together they entered the room.

"There we go!" She said encouragingly, "Now let's talk like civilized mammals hmm?"

 **A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for being so patient with me on this chapter, I was pretty swamped last week (But hey, I met my weekend deadline! Wooo!). How did everyone like Asha? I love a good villain so I tried my best to make a fun one for this story. Also, I have never really written any fluff, so please be merciful upon my feeble attempts. For those of you that are waiting for TiPo, in case you didn't guess, that will also be happening sometime soon. So, just a few quick requests from the least talented writer that you're ever likely to read and then I'll let you go. First, if you have feedback, advice, constructive criticism, give it to me please! Don't just insult me/my writing, but if you notice something that I do that could be fixed or improved I'd love to hear about it. Second, chapter length. Longer, shorter, or just right? Lastly, if I'm not sticking to characterizations properly (I do my best, but I realize I may err) please let me know so that I may fix it. As always, I'll do my best to finish chapters when I can and get them out for you guys. Unfortunately, I'm also returning to my part time job from injury leave so I may be a tad slower, but I can't predict the future so who knows? Thank you all so much once again and I hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you want?" Judy interrogated, checking her surroundings for another ambush. Asha laughed as she watched the bunny survey the darkened hotel room.

"We're alone Ms. Hopps." She said calmly, "And I just want to have a little chat."

"And why should we 'have a little chat?'" Nick scoffed while using air quotes. Asha smirked and Nick noticed her tail flicking back and forth. He gave Judy a sideways glance, which she returned while readying her Taser. Asha raised an eyebrow at the duo's actions.

"You're both so jumpy." She said amusedly "I just want to talk. Is that so hard to believe?" Nick and Judy remained silent. "All right then." Asha began, taking their silence as tacit approval, "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I don't actually want to hurt anyone." Nick rolled his eyes. He'd heard the "I'm really just misunderstood" speech before. Asha noticed the eye roll and continued, "No it's true. I'd rather not hurt any mammal. You see, when mammals are injured or assaulted, questions are asked, investigations are held, and organizations are dismantled. The authorities face more pressure to chase down violent criminals, while the sneakier ones slip through the cracks. That being said, I do have to resort to it on more," she paused as she scowled at Nick and Judy, "unfortunate occasions."

"And this is relevant why exactly?" Judy responded icily.

"Ah yes!" Asha said, clapping her hands together, "Thank you for reminding me. I have a proposition for you. I want the staff, Po and Tigress want to get home, and you want to get back to your vacation. You all have the staff, and I have a way for them to get back home. You give it to me, they go home, and you lovebirds can continue with your insignificant little lives." Asha said magnanimously. Judy glared at the leopard, incensed by her verbal jibes.

"And why should we believe that you can get them home?" She asked aggressively.

"My dear, how do you think they got here?" Asha tittered. Judy looked at her in confusion. "Do I have to spell it out for you? I diverted their little jaunt through the spirit world so they'd end up here."

"So they could find you the staff." Judy said, comprehension dawning on her face.

"Exactly! Someone get this bunny a carrot!"

"Regardless of what you say, the answer is no." Nick said blithely. Asha looked at him in surprise.

"Really? I thought my deal was quite fair. I leave you alone, they go home, and I walk away with what I want. Where's the issue?"

"Well first of all, there's you." Nick stated with his trademark smirk. "Now obviously, neither one of us trusts you given your earlier attempts to get the staff, but that's not the only factor. You're also an arrogant, conceited, narcissist, and that," Nick looked around furtively, "makes mammals dislike you." He stage whispered, his antics causing Judy to snicker. Asha's eyebrow twitched, her earlier grin fading as Nick insulted her. "So there's that," Nick continued, reveling in the leopard's consternation, "but of course there's also the fact that we don't know why you want the staff. And, going back to my earlier point, neither of us trust you." Asha sat, glaring at Nick murderously as the torrent of sarcastic remarks continued to flow. "Also, while you claim to be the one that brought them here, we can't believe that either! Because we don't trust lying, deceptive, dangerous criminals! Are you sensing a pattern here? But how could I forget the final reason." He said, growing more serious. "You attacked me, Po, Tigress, and Judy. Nothing you could say would ever get you that staff or get us to even negotiate with a lowlife like you. But when you try to take it, because we all know you will, we will stop you and throw you in the dankest, darkest prison on the planet." He finished, calmly returning the leopard's stunned and enraged stare.

"I think it's time for you to go." Judy said contemptuously, "You know the way out."

"Be careful you two." Asha snarled as she rose to paws, "You wouldn't want to hurt my feelings now would you? You never know what might happen."

"Oh, I'm trembling." Nick said in a monotone, prickling the predator even further. Asha took several deep breaths to collect herself and then her expression changed.

"I'll be seeing the both of you very soon." She said, a chilling grin replacing the fiery rage that had resided on her face moments earlier. She walked out of the room swiftly and opened the door. "Oh and Judy," she said over her shoulder before exiting, "you might want to keep that fox of yours in line. I won't be so forgiving next time. Ta-ta!" Asha left, slamming the door behind her. Judy immediately rushed over, locked it, turned the deadbolt, and put the chain on. She walked back into the bedroom to see Nick sitting on the edge of the bed, grinning like a kit.

"Well I think that went quite well." He said, causing Judy to snicker.

"She certainly wasn't expecting that." Judy replied.

"And that my dear Carrots, was the plan." He said, smug as can be.

"I'm guessing the plan was to unsettle her, try to force a mistake, and learn more about her?" The bunny asked dryly, used to the fox's standard procedure.

"Exactly." He said, rising from the bed and smoothing out his clothes. "Now, I am going to take a shower, because this will probably be our last chance to do so for a while." Judy nodded, looking thoughtfully at the bed. Nick cocked his head as the bunny's face lit up and she rushed out of the room. She returned a few second later holding a pair of tweezers and a plastic bag.

"Now let's see if she left us anything." She said, inspecting the comforter's surface intently. "Aha!" She trumpeted, picking up a longish, dark piece of fur and placing and sealing it into the Ziploc bag.

"Carrots, what use is Asha's fur?" Nick asked, "We're in China, we don't have access to the DNA database."

"Actually, I may, uh, have a precinct laptop…" Judy trailed off, blushing slightly.

"Only you would bring your work computer with you on vacation." Nick said with a laugh.

"I didn't bring it with me because it's my work computer Nick." She replied exasperatedly, walking over to her bag "I just forgot my laptop at Bunnyburrow when I visited last weekend and Bogo's been letting me use this one until my parents send it to me in the mail."

"Why has it taken them more than a week to send you your laptop?"

"Well, you try finding one missing laptop in a burrow full of bunnies." She retorted, pulling out the laptop and taking it to the room's desk. "Now let's see what we have." She said, booting up the computer and opening up a port on the side. "It's a portable DNA scanner." She explained while placing the hair in it, "We'll probably get a result back in a few minutes."

"Wow." Nick said, suitably impressed, "When did we get those?"

"Last week." She replied, watching the screen intently.

"Should I leave you two alone for a while?" Nick teased, observing the bunny's focus on the computer.

"Go take your shower." She shot back, "You need it." She added with a sly smirk. Nick gave her a stare of mock outrage, marched into the bathroom, and closed the door. Judy smiled to herself as her keen hearing detected the sounds of the shower turning on and the fox humming under his breath. Though it hadn't exactly gone to plan, she was still enjoying her "vacation" quite a bit.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a beep from the computer.

"That's odd." She muttered under her breath, "It shouldn't have been so fast." She clicked on the results and her ears drooped behind her head. "Oh, sweet cheese and crackers." She groaned, leaning back heavily in the chair. Judy looked up at the ceiling, her mind awhirl with thoughts. Asha was more dangerous than she thought. Much more dangerous. And very powerful. Judy returned to a normal sitting position and stared at the screen proclaiming one match. Asha Zannui: #9 on INTERPAW's most wanted list. Judy opened the file.

* * *

Asha Zannui

Age: 29

DOB: 1/21/1988

Early Life: Asha was born in England and immediately put up for adoption by her parents. She was adopted at the age of 8 by the Zannui family, all of whom are tigers. At the age of 12, the Zannui family moved to the Henan Province in China. There is no further record of her childhood.

Criminal Activity: Three years ago, Asha joined the international criminal world at the head of a new organization referred to as "The Hǔ." This organization has been linked with money laundering, racketeering, extortion, fraud, and multiple disappearances. Most, if not all, of the members are highly trained in at least one form of martial art and are adept at evading capture and escaping custody. INTERPAW has attempted to arrest Asha on three separate occasions and she has escaped or avoided our teams each time.

Profile: Asha shows a brutal cunning that allows her to manipulate others to achieve her goals. However, this is balanced by her arrogance, narcissism, and apparent instability. She attempts to unsettle and surprise her adversaries whenever possible. Nothing is known about her life and activities between the ages of 12 and 26.

Known Areas of Activity: China and India. There have also been several sightings of her near archaeological digs in both countries. Her base of operations appears to be in the Henan province.

Known Associates: N/A

Notes: She has access to vast resources, either as a result of the Hǔ's illicit dealings or another form of revenue. She uses flirting as a distraction and has occasional mood swings. Approach with extreme caution and do not underestimate her.

* * *

Judy's dismay grew as she read the file. She slumped in her chair as she thought about Asha. How could they deal with her? Could she call Bogo and ask for backup?

"No." She said aloud, dismissing that idea. If she called Bogo, INTERPAW would come running and Po and Tigress would be stuck with no way home.

"But how are we going to find her if INTERPAW can't?" She thought despairingly. Her internal machinations were interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening. She turned around to see Nick wearing a robe and toweling his ears and head dry.

"Find anything interesting Carrots?" Nick called over his shoulder as he walked into his room.

"See for yourself." She said gloomily.

"One sec." He called from his room. He emerged almost immediately wearing shorts and a ZPD t-shirt. "How do I look Carrots?" He joked. She raised a tired eyebrow in his direction and he frowned. "What's got you down Judes?" He asked. She gestured to the computer screen in front of her and Nick walked over. "Scooch." He said, wedging himself into the chair beside her, earning a chuckle from the bunny for his efforts. He allowed himself a small smile as he began to read the file.

Judy watched as the fox's smile slipped off his face as he read the file. Nick finished his perusal and let out a low whistle.

"Wow. She's worse than I thought." He said, "So what's the plan?" He asked turning to Judy. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Honestly, I'm not quite sure." She admitted, "We can't call Bogo for help, I don't know where to find Asha, and she might be tracking us now." Nick nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Ok. One problem at a time." He stated firmly. "We should get back to Tigress and Po without being tracked. Now you go take a shower and I'll pack our things."

"Nick, there isn't time for me to take a shower." She said exasperatedly, "We need to make a plan, we need to—"

"There was time for me to take one, so there's time for you to take one." He interrupted. "Besides, you can think while you're in there. I'll pack our stuff and make sure Asha didn't put any bugs or trackers in our things."

"Fine." She said grumpily, marching into the bathroom and closing the door. "And make sure to fold everything Nick!" She shouted.

* * *

Judy exited the bathroom about twenty minutes later. Though she would be unwilling to admit it, the reluctantly taken shower had refreshed her and given her time to think and plan. She walked into her room and saw that Nick had indeed packed all of her stuff into her suitcase. As she opened it to retrieve clean clothes, she noted with some amusement that Nick actually folded her things and packed them neatly. Judy got dressed, zipped her suitcase shut and walked out of her room, wheeling it behind her. As she entered the common area, her ears detected a slight snuffling sound and she found Nicholas Wilde fast asleep on the sofa, cuddling a pillow. She chuckled fondly as she watched the fox nestle deeper into the couch. She set her suitcase down and pulled out her phone, taking several pictures of the drooling vulpine before shaking him awake.

"C'mon Nick. Wake up." She said, shaking his shoulder. The fox partially opened his eyes and let out a cavernous yawn.

"I'm up." He said, sleepily, rubbing his eyes and grinning at the bunny. "And what a wonderful sight to wake up to." Judy blushed as she smiled back at the fox.

"Either way, it's time to go." She said quickly, picking up her bag again. "Did you find anything in our stuff?"

"Nope." He said, swinging his legs off the couch and clambering to his paws. "Nothing at all."

"Excellent. Let's get going then."

"Uh, Carrots? What're we going to do with our bags?" Nick asked curiously as he picked up his suitcase and backpack.

"I thought we'd just take them with us." She replied cheerfully. Nick gazed at her in horror.

"You mean we're carrying them? Up those stairs?" He gasped. Judy rolled her eyes and walked towards the exit.

"Stop worrying Nick. It won't be that bad."

"You say that now." He grumbled under his breath as he followed her out. The pair left the hotel without any incident and walked onto the street.

"We should probably grab some supplies before we head back." Judy said, breaking the silence. Nick nodded in agreement.

"There's a convenience store right there." He pointed out.

"Perfect." Judy said, giving Nick her bag. "Wait here, I'll grab some stuff and then we can go." Nick opened his mouth to protest, but the bunny had already sped inside the store. Nick waited for a few minutes and then Judy emerged, holding an inordinate amount of bread, two enormous jars of peanut butter, and several bottles of water.

"Got enough food there Fluff?" He remarked dryly as she walked up to him.

"We also needed stuff for Tigress and Po, Slick." She retorted while setting the bags down next to him. "Now put some of this in your bag." Nick unzipped his bag and began stuffing food inside. Judy did the same.

"All right." He said, forcing his bag shut, no longer caring about the state of the food. "Can we go now?"

"Yep." Judy replied. They began walking to the Jade Palace stairs, but Judy quickly noticed something.

"Hey Nick," she said conversationally, keeping her eyes fixed ahead "there's a mammal following us." Nick sighed. He hated losing tails.

"Follow my lead Carrots." He said. Suddenly, Nick pitched forward, falling onto the pavement. "MY PAW!" He yelped, curling up into a ball and holding his right hind paw. Judy quickly picked up on what Nick was doing and turned around.

"Sir!" She yelled at the mammal tailing them, "Could you please help us!" The mammal shook his head vigorously and then walked away as fast as he could. Nick waited until he was out of sight and then sprang to his paws.

"Let's go." He said urgently, grabbing his bag, "We don't have long before he comes back." Judy nodded her agreement and the pair ran towards the Jade Palace staircase.

* * *

Nick and Judy both reentered the cave panting heavily.

"That wasn't so bad was it Nick?" Judy said in between breaths, earning a venomous stare from the vulpine. They both dropped their bags on the floor and used the rock shelf as a bench to recover from their exertions. After several minutes of heavy breathing and coughing, Nick staggered to his paws once more.

"I'm going to find Po and Tigress and find out what happened while we were gone." He said, his breathing still labored. Judy nodded her assent, too tired to protest.

Nick walked down the passageway Tigress had taken him through earlier, hoping to find the two of them there. Upon entering Po's room, Nick noticed two things. Yes they were there. And, Po and Tigress were currently kissing. With a wolfish grin on his face, Nick loudly cleared his throat.

"Ahem!" Po and Tigress broke apart, gazing at Nick in horror. "Well, what happened here?" He asked with a broad smile.

* * *

Earlier that Day…

"What now?" Po asked Tigress as Nick left.

"I guess we interrogate our captives." She replied tiredly. The duo stood up and traversed the passageway to the main cave. From there it was a short walk to the dungeon.

"Ok, I'll take the wolverine, you take the coyote." Tigress said. Po nodded his head and they entered the dungeon to begin the interrogation.

* * *

One hour later…

Po and Tigress walked out of the dungeon.

"Well that was useful." She remarked sourly, frustrated at the obstinacy of their captives.

"It's ok Tigress." Po replied calmly. "They'll tell us something eventually. Until we figure out a way to get home, we have nothing but time."

"I know." She replied, sitting down on a rock shelf that had been carved into the wall next to the dungeon entrance. "But that doesn't make it any less frustrating." Po sat down next to her.

"You know, interrogations are supposed to make the captives irritated. Not the interrogator." He said in a completely neutral tone. Tigress gave him a rueful smile.

"The thing is Po," She said seriously, "we're just as trapped as they are. We're stuck in this time, Asha's after us, and even if we did leave this cave, we wouldn't have a clue what to do or where to go." Tigress's voice rose with each successive thing, the tiger becoming more strained and stressed. Po, noticing his friend's obvious distress, thought for a moment.

"Ok Tigress," he said with a sly smile, "what's our job?"

"Our what?" She asked, thrown by the sudden shift in conversation.

"Our job." He said simply, "What do we do everyday? What are we required to do?"

"We train. We fight. We protect China. We do whatever Master Shifu orders." She replied, still puzzled by Po's line of questioning.

"Ok, the third one." Po said, "What do you mean by that exactly?"

"I mean we stop others from hurting innocents. We protect the populace, their possessions and property, and our culture from criminals." She responded, becoming more impatient with Po's game.

"Now what is Asha?" He prodded.

"She's a clouded leopard, she's trained in kung-fu, she's a criminal! What's the point of this Po?! Are you going anywhere with it?!" Tigress shouted, her temper finally boiling over as Po's questions and her stress took their toll.

"Exactly!" He said triumphantly, ignoring Tigress's outburst. "She's a criminal! And she's in China! Tigress, do you see what I'm saying?" The tiger shook her head, still simmering from the events of the day.

"Tigress, we may not be in our time," Po began, serious and sincere, "and we may be trapped here indefinitely, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything. Our job is to protect China and stop criminals. Asha is not only a criminal, she's also endangering mammals. Even though we aren't in our comfort zone, we can still do our job." Tigress nodded, her eyes downcast, finally understanding Po's point.

"Thank you Po." She said quietly, her frustration abated.

"Now come on." He said, leaning into her shoulder, "What should we do now?" Tigress chuckled as she pushed the panda away. She shrugged her shoulders.

"We could spar." She suggested, causing Po to shake his head.

"Tigress, we spar every day and we were just in a fight." He said incredulously. Tigress thought for a moment and then her face lit up.

"We could see if the staff works! If it does, it can help us get home!" She said excitedly, jumping to her paws. Po hauled himself up as well.

"Let's go!" He said, equally enthused. The pair raced up to the main cave and down to Po's room. The panda picked up the staff from where it lay besides the Dragon Scroll. Tigress watched expectantly as Po closed his eyes and his face assumed a look of serenity and focus. After about a minute, he opened his eyes and sat down with a sigh.

"It doesn't work." He said glumly. "At least, not now."

"What do you mean by that?" She asked.

"I think the staff serves more as a focal point." Po explained uncertainly, "A way to channel and magnify my chi. But I don't have any energy left to channel. It might work once my chi regenerates, but who knows how long that will take." Tigress sat down heavily next to Po, her brief hope quickly extinguished.

"Cheer up Tigress." He said encouragingly, "We just have to try again in a little bit."

"It's not that that's bothering me." She said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm useless Po." She said, the frustration clear in her voice, "I couldn't beat Asha myself, I can't help us get home, and I can't get a coyote to even say one word to me!"

"Tigress, do you have any idea of how irreplaceable you are?" Po responded, shocked that she would ever think such a thing.

"What do you mean Po?! I couldn't beat Tai Lung, I almost got you killed when you faced Shen, I couldn't do anything against Kai, and now we're sitting in a cave, thousands of years from home, and I can't do anything!" She shouted, all of her self-doubt coming to the surface.

"Are you serious right now Tigress? First of all, I barely beat Tai Lung. I only had a chance because his nerve attack didn't work through all my fat! You're one of the greatest kung-fu masters in China. Just being around you pushed me to try to be better. When I almost died in Shen's factory, it was my decision that put me there and put my life at risk. Not yours. In fact, it was my fault you were captured! Without me there, your plan would've worked perfectly! And when I freed you guys? How could I walk away from my friends and let a tyrant conquer China? And against Kai?! You were the only one of the Furious Five who escaped him! He even beat Oogway and Shifu! You warned me and gave us time to prepare. Not only that, I would've been defeated in the spirit world without your help! Tigress, you're not only my best friend, you're my hero. You've always been there whenever I've needed something and my entire life, I've dreamt about being like you. When I became the Dragon Warrior, everything I'd ever hoped for came true, and you were the best part of it. You are the awesomest, most amazing mammal I have ever met and that's why I love you." Po froze as the last part of his speech slipped out.

"What?" Tigress asked, shocked by the last words of his speech.

"Nothing!" Po said in a panicked voice. "I said nothing. Just that you were awesome." He watched as the look of shock on Tigress's face faded and was replaced by a smile.

"You love me?" She asked, her smile lighting up her entire face.

"Uh, yes?" Po answered hopefully.

"Finally!" She said joyfully, leaning in to kiss him.

* * *

Nick watched the terrified pair staring at him with a smile on his face.

"Judy's going to love this." He said with relish.

 **A/N: Hi guys! I'm so, so, so sorry about the long delay. I have a litany of excuses that include a five day trip to Chicago, makeup work, actual work, etc. but really, I should've gotten this out sooner. I wrote most of this chapter over the past four days, so hopefully that fact didn't show as you read it. Now, a few quick things and then I'll be done. First, the meaning of "The** **Hǔ" will be revealed at a later date along with more of Asha's backstory. Also, I finally got around to TiPo! I know, it took forever! In all honesty, one of the reasons it took so long is that I have a harder time writing interactions between Tigress and Po. It's just something that I need to work on. As for updates, as always, I will update when I can. I apologize if I'm glacially slow from time to time, but I have lots of things that I want to do and little time. However, next week I also have February break so my time should be a little less tight. Final thing. I will not simply abandon this story. If I decide to discontinue it, I will let everyone know. I will not simply stop updating. I just want to make that very clear because I don't want anyone worrying over my sporadic updating schedule. Thank you all so much for reading my attempts at writing and I hope everyone enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5

Judy walked down the tunnel to Po's room, confused as to what was taking Nick so long. Upon entering the room, her confusion only grew. Tigress and Po were frozen, gawking at Nick in shock and fear, and Nick was clearly reveling in whatever situation he had created. Judy cleared her throat loudly and Po and Tigress's heads snapped in her direction.

"What's going on here?" She asked, aiming the inquiry at the grinning vulpine. Nick's grin grew even wider as he rubbed his paws together mischievously.

"My dear Carrots," He said, walking over and throwing an arm around her shoulder, basking in the glow of their friends' discomfort, "I was on my way to inform our noble companions of our return, when I stumbled upon something shocking. Something momentous. Something incredible!" He said, eventually reaching a crescendo. Judy rolled her eyes at Nick's theatrics while Tigress and Po shrunk a little in embarrassment.

"Just spit it out Nick." She said, her foot beginning to thump impatiently against the floor.

"I walked in on them kissing!" He chortled triumphantly. Judy stared at her boyfriend with a raised eyebrow, halting his enjoyment.

"Don't be so crass Nick." She scolded the still smiling fox, "They kissed, so what?"

"I'm sorry Carrots." He replied happily, "But it was just such a perfect opportunity." Judy gave him a light punch on the shoulder, though the fox's reaction indicated it was anything but, and turned to Tigress and Po, both of whom were dearly wishing they could vanish on the spot.

"Guys it's ok." Judy said with a laugh, "Don't let Nick bother you, we're both actually really happy for you." The opposing pair straightened up a little at Judy's words.

"Thanks." Tigress said awkwardly, her paw rubbing the back of her neck, "Sorry, I'm just not very experienced with—"

"Feelings?" Po suggested with a smile, earning a glare from the tiger.

"This type of situation." Tigress finished, keeping her gaze fixed on Po.

"Neither are we." Nick interjected, gesturing at himself and Judy, "Just don't overthink it. Figure out what you want and talk about it. Do you guys need that time now or…" He trailed off uncertainly. Tigress looked at Po and then turned back to Nick, shaking her head.

"I think we should be fine." She answered with a slight smile, "So, what did you guys need?" Nick and Judy sat down on one of the several rocky benches that had been carved into the wall and Po and Tigress followed suit, sitting opposite the police duo.

"We may have run into Asha." Nick said delicately, causing Po to groan and Tigress to run a paw down her face. "On the bright side, we found some stuff out. Judy." He finished, turning to the bunny.

"We now know that Asha is on INTERPAW's most wanted list and is the head of an international crime organization called "The Hǔ." Judy started, picking up where Nick left off, "But—"

"Wait, you said they were called 'The Hǔ?'" Po interrupted, earning a confused glance from Judy.

"Yes. Why?"

"Why would they call their organization 'The Tiger?'" He asked, puzzling the bunny even further. "Some of the records that we had in the Jade Palace were old. Really old. In a whole different language old. 'The Hǔ' means 'The Tiger' in some of the scrolls." He elaborated, noticing her confusion. Judy stared off into space as she pondered the new development. So not only was this organization well-funded and equipped, its roots were somehow linked to the Jade Palace and ancient scrolls. She shook her head.

"That is both very interesting and highly disturbing." The bunny said with a frown, "But the other big thing is that you guys didn't get here by accident. Asha brought you here somehow so that you could find Po's staff for her." Judy watched as the looks of shock on Po and Tigress's faces were quickly replaced with anger.

"And she says that she can get you home." Judy finished, looking at Nick to see if she forgot everything. He shrugged his shoulders, having nothing to add, and the pair turned back to the dumbfounded tiger and panda.

"Wait what?! What kind of power does she have access to?!" Po asked incredulously, "I thought it was my mistake that brought us here."

"She said that while you were using the spirit world as a portal, she diverted your path to bring you forwards in time." Judy explained uncertainly, "She didn't give any specifics, just that she could get you guys home."

"Let me guess," Tigress said tiredly, "all we have to do is give the staff to her and she will magically transport us home." Judy nodded her head.

"That was pretty much the deal." Nick chimed in, "And after we turned her down, she left. She sent someone to follow us back, but we lost him on the street." Tigress nodded her head, absorbing these new developments.

"Is it even possible that she has the power to do that Po?" Tigress asked the panda, "You're the chi expert." Po's brow furrowed as he stared at the ground in thought.

"Ordinarily I would say no." He said slowly, "But she didn't do it herself. She redirected some of my power as well. I just can't figure out how she drew us here, to this time."

"Is there anything that could have acted as a lure?" Judy suggested, "Maybe something that you owned or that was linked to you in some way?"

"Maybe." The panda said, shaking his head as if to rid himself of the problem, "You mentioned INTERPAW," Po said, changing the subject, "what's that?"

"It's part of an international police organization." Judy explained, "the acronym stands for International Police: Advancement Wing. It's a subset of the larger organization that focuses on new and growing criminal organizations and tackling their threat before they advance any further." Po sat back, satisfied with her explanation.

"So what's the plan?" He asked. Judy shifted uncomfortably and looked around the room, finding that everyone was staring at her.

"I have one, but it's a little risky." She said reluctantly after several moments of silence.

"What kind of risk?" Nick asked.

"It would involve someone taking the staff and being bait for Asha." Judy replied unhappily, "I can't think of anything better."

"I think that's the best plan." Tigress said suddenly, "Right now, Asha has the upper paw. We don't know where she is. Either we wait for her to find us, or we set a trap."

"But what if we lose the staff Tigress?" Po interrogated, "It's our best chance of getting home!"

"If we capture Asha, we can find out how she got us here and use that way." She argued, "Po, a trap is our best option."

"How are we going to trap her?" He shot back, "We tried once and she got away, and she'll bring more henchmen with her this time!"

"Not before she was comprehensively beaten Po!" Tigress shouted back, "This is the best way!"

"Tigress—"

"Shhhhhh." Judy hissed suddenly, waving her paws for them to quiet down.

"What is it?" Nick whispered. Judy shook her head and closed her eyes, listening intently for something only she could hear. Po and Tigress looked at Nick who shrugged worriedly before returning his gaze the focused bunny. Judy opened her eyes and moved quickly and silently to where Po and Tigress where sitting.

"Is there another way out of here?" She breathed, barely audible to the tiger's keen ears. Tigress nodded her head with a worried expression and gestured towards another tunnel leading out of the room, this one descending into the mountain itself. Judy nodded her head and the others all rose to their paws, ready to leave. Po grabbed the staff from where it was lying and Tigress snatched the Dragon Scroll from up next to it. They started towards the tunnel, moving swiftly and stealthily, but froze as a canister trailing white smoke was launched into the room.

"RUN!" Judy yelled as she pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight, coughing as tear gas began to fill the room. The four mammals took off at a sprint as three figures appeared in the smoke. Tigress bounded ahead of the group, leading them through the dark, twisting labyrinth of downward sloping tunnels with the only illumination coming from Judy's phone. After a minute of frantic running, Tigress slid to a stop next to what was little more than a crevice. Nick and Judy surveyed the "exit" skeptically.

"It gets wider the further in you go." Tigress explained, noticing their doubtful expressions, "And it leads to the base of the mountain. I went down it myself." Po looked worriedly at the opening and then down at himself.

"I'll create a diversion so you guys can get away safely." He said firmly.

"Po, you'll get caught." Tigress said exasperatedly.

"Tigress, I'm not going to fit through that!" He retorted, "But I can prevent them from noticing it." Tigress looked at him, eyes full of concern.

"Be careful Po." She said, knowing his mind was set, "Please." Po smiled and gave her a quick kiss.

"I'll be ok Tigress." He said softly, putting his paws on her shoulders.

"And I'll go with him." Nick piped up.

"Wait what?!" Judy hissed, wheeling Nick around to face her.

"If someone doesn't go with him, he might get captured." Nick replied calmly, "This way, we have a pretty good chance. I only saw three of them."

"Then why don't we all stay?" She asked, turning to Tigress.

"We can't put all our eggs in one basket. We can't afford to have everyone get caught." Tigress said sadly, gazing at the bunny.

"Who says we're going to get caught?" Po asked indignantly, earning a chuckle from the glum tiger.

"Now you guys should get out of here." Nick said as Po handed the staff to Tigress. Judy glared at the fox and slugged his shoulder.

"Ow!" He yelped, rubbing his now tender arm.

"Stay safe you idiot." She said sternly before kissing him. Nick smiled tentatively at the annoyed bunny.

"You too Carrots." He said worriedly, "Now you guys should go before they find us." Judy gave him one last look before sliding sideways into the crevice. Nick looked at Tigress who gave him a nod before following. Nick and Po waited until the light from Judy's flashlight dimmed and finally disappeared as their counterparts descended towards the base. Nick pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight feature, filling the cramped tunnels with light.

"I guess we head up towards the caves and try to escape." Po said heavily, knowing their odds of success.

"Cheer up." Nick said, patting the panda on the back, or at least as far up as he could reach, "There's only three of them."

"And the two in the dungeon." Po added with a sigh. Nick grimaced as he remembered their two captives. They would be very motivated to find them. The duo crept through the tunnels silently, listening intently for any indication of adversaries. As they neared the upper levels, Nick turned to Po.

"I'm going to turn off the flashlight to make us harder to detect." Nick warned him, "Hold onto my shoulder and I can guide you." Po nodded his agreement, trusting the predator's night vision. Nick shut off the flashlight and began moving forward, the way lit only by the faint bluish glow of his screen. The oppressive darkness began to lift as they neared the cave system, with the last rays of sunlight creeping in through perforations in the stone. The pair continued to creep forward, puzzled by the absence of enemies, until they reached the room they fled from. Nick kicked the empty tear gas canister, the only clue that anyone else had been there.

"Where'd they go?" Po pondered aloud, breaking the silence, "Why would Asha just leave without coming after us?"

"Maybe she just wanted to rescue her henchman?" Nick answered, unconvinced by his own theory. Po froze, a look of terror on his face.

"Or maybe she knew about the exit and wanted to flush us out and trap us." He said, horrified by the concept. Po looked at Nick and together the two of them rushed towards the entrance they came in.

"Do you know where the tunnel lets out?" Nick asked as they sprinted up a tunnel. Po nodded his head continued the headlong dash for the entrance, Nick slightly ahead of the larger mammal. They rushed into the main cavern and Nick heard a thud. Turning his head he saw Po with a green tufted dart protruding from his neck. He skidded to a stop just in time to feel something prick his arm. The cave swam before his eyes as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Judy began climbing down the treacherous slope, the narrow walls of the cavern scraping the fabric of her shirt as she edged down.

"Can you see ok?" She whispered to Tigress above her.

"Yes." She whispered back. Judy's phone was providing more than enough light for her night vision to function. The pair descended at a moderate pace, being careful not to make too much noise and alert Asha to their location. Eventually they reached the bottom and there was enough ambient light from the exit for Judy to turn her flashlight off.

"We should go," Judy said as she dusted off her clothes, "Nick will call when they get out so they know where to find us."

"If they get out." Tigress muttered darkly, following the bunny's lead and brushing the dirt from her fur. Judy gave her a disapproving look. "They're outnumbered and trapped Judy." She said exasperatedly, hiding her worry, "They're probably going to be caught." Judy frowned.

"Tigress, if anyone can slip out unnoticed, it's Nick. Barring a fight, which I'm not even sure they would lose, they might just escape." Judy responded forcefully, trying to convince herself as much as Tigress, "Now let's leave before Asha finds us." Tigress nodded her agreement and exited the cave with Judy following behind. They emerged at the rocky base of the mountain, the green expanse of the bamboo forest only several hundred feet away. Judy started forwards, only to be yanked back sharply by Tigress, a green blur whistling by inches in front of her. Judy saw several black suited figures rise from a cluster of nearby boulders as Tigress beat away the tranquilizer dart meant for her. The tiger took off running with the bunny on her heels. Another dart whistled by, pinging off a rock. Judy pushed harder, slowly drawing level with Tigress. She looked ahead at the forest, only yards away. Once they were inside, the darts would become virtually useless and they could escape. Judy looked over her shoulder and saw the team of mammals falling behind, outpaced by the speedy tiger and bunny. However, her feeling of elation was immediately cut off as she pitched towards the ground, just barely breaking her fall with her front paws. Judy looked behind her to see a jumble of fine wire tangled between several trees: a tripwire. Judy scrambled to her paws, desperate to continue her escape, only to feel a sharp, pinching sensation in her lower leg. She stumbled a few feet before collapsing again, the green-tufted dart doing its work. Her vision blurred as the sedatives began to pump through her veins. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Tigress's body slumping to the ground.

 **A/N: Hi everyone! I just want to apologize for the lateness of this chapter. And the length. I've been having a little more trouble finding both the time and motivation to work on the story, so instead of keeping you waiting, I'll give you what I have so far. Anyways, that's about it. Our heroes are unconscious and captured. Who knows what will happen next? (I do!) Also, if anyone's interested, I will occasionally post updates on my Tumblr as well ( zootopia123) so you can check that out if you'd like. Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

Judy picked her head up from the metal table and opened her eyes, squinting and then closing them as the glaring white light exacerbated her monumental headache. She instinctively reached to grasp her aching head, but her paws were brutally stopped halfway there by pawcuffs. She snapped open her eyes in alarm, eyes watering as they were exposed to the light, and looked around. She was in a white room, devoid of any furniture other than the metal table and the chair she was sitting in, both of which were bolted to the floor. Her paws were chained together by cuffs which were looped through a shower bar anchored to the table. She gave them an experimental tug but nothing budged. She looked down and saw that her hind paws were likewise cuffed to the chair. Judy let out a frustrated sigh and slumped back in the uncomfortable metal chair. She sat silently, wondering whether anyone else got away and what things Asha had in store for her. She noticed a blinking red light in the corner of the room, exposing the CCTV camera that was trained on her. Judy gave the camera a little wave and returned to her thoughts. After a few minutes, she heard a door swing open behind her.

"Ms. Hopps, we have quite a lot to talk about." Judy's eyes widened in surprise and her mouth fell open as her captor walked into her field of view carrying a manila folder.

"What? Were you expecting someone else?" The snow white fox asked with a smirk. Judy promptly shut her open mouth and schooled her expression into one of complete neutrality, causing the fox to chuckle.

"Well, clearly I won't be getting anything from you." She said sarcastically. Judy remained silent, studying the arctic fox. She was wearing a black suit and looked to be around Nick's age. She was also looking at Judy with an expression of supreme confidence.

"Let's start simply, shall we?" The fox said with a malicious grin, opening the folder and perusing its contents "Your name is Judy Hopps. You work for the ZPD. Your family lives in Bunnyburrow. Your partner is Nick Wilde, who we also have in custody—"

"Wait, what do you mean 'in custody?'" Judy asked in confusion, "Who are you?" The fox raised an eyebrow.

"I guess you _were_ expecting someone else." She said, slightly surprised, "Ms. Hopps, we're INTERPAW."

* * *

Nick leaned back against the chair, his claws tapping noisily against the surface of the metal table as he waited. He gave a sarcastic wave at the camera, making it clear that he was awake and ready to talk, but nobody entered the room. He sat for what seemed like an eternity, his claws tapping out the same monotonous rhythm, until finally he heard the door open behind him. A black striped bunny strolled into his sight holding a manila folder.

"Mr. Wilde," the bunny began, opening the folder, "you—"

"It's Officer Wilde actually." Nick interrupted with a smarmy grin, "But you already know that, don't you?"

"Yes I do." The bunny retorted with annoyance, snapping the folder shut and glaring at the fox, "And it makes your situation even worse."

"Really? And what situation is that exactly?" Nick asked, silently noticing the bulge under the left arm of the lagomorph's black suit, as well as the disturbed fur on his right paw.

"Consorting with an international crime syndicate." He replied icily, "That, in addition with your past crimes—"

"Alleged past crimes." Nick corrected, much to the bunny's annoyance.

"That, in addition to your past crimes," He paused and glared at Nick, who smiled in response, "could cost you your job and land you in prison for a number of years. Unless you want to cooperate that is." The bunny watched Nick carefully, looking for any signs of agreement. Instead, he watched as Nick began shaking with laughter.

"Let's go over the facts, shall we?" Nick began, placing both paws on the table as his mirth subsided, "You tranqued me in an abandoned cave system in China while I was on vacation with my girlfriend. You're obviously a part of some agency, I'm gonna guess INTERPOL or a foreign intelligence agency, and you now want me to spill my guts because you have no evidence. Well, there's two problems with that plan. Number one, I haven't done anything wrong. And number two, if I had, I wouldn't be stupid enough to tell you."

"You wouldn't consider the two criminals we found in the cave to be 'evidence,' Mr. Wilde? What about the two mammals we caught you and Ms. Hopps with?" Nick stilled as he remembered Po and Tigress.

"That is a more complicated situation." Nick backtracked, causing the bunny to smile.

"Do tell Mr. Wilde." Nick sighed and studied the smirking bunny, then decided to change tack.

"So how long have you been married?" He asked suddenly, causing the bunny to blanch.

"I'm not married." He said quickly, "I've never even had a girlfriend." Nick grinned, giving his interrogator's paw a pointed look. The bunny looked down and noticed the mussed fur on one of his digits. His eyes twitched back to Nick, who was once again lounging in his chair with a lazy smirk, knowing that he had unsettled the rabbit. The bunny took a deep breath to collect himself, then refocused on the fox in front of him.

"So Mr. Wilde, you mentioned that the situation with the panda and the tiger was more complicated than it appeared. Would you care to elaborate?" Nick leaned forward and looked the bunny directly in the eyes.

"I will only talk to you on three conditions Stripes." Nick said, deadly serious "The first is that you let Judy and I together in the same room. Then we'll see about the others." The bunny glared at the now silent fox and then walked towards to door without another word. Nick heard the door slam shut behind him.

" _And now,_ " he thought, " _I wait._ "

* * *

The bunny exited Nick's cell and was immediately greeted by the arctic fox.

"And how did the famous Jack Savage handle the infamous Nick Wilde?" She queried with a grin, poking him with her paw.

"Oh, be quiet." He retorted lightly, dodging the poke, "He's hardly infamous."

"Well, he was an expert con-artist that operated for two decades without being caught. Ever. And then he entered the police academy, graduated top of his class, and became half of the best duo in Zootopia's precinct one, so, you're right. Not interesting at all." She finished, deadpanning as the bunny gawked in surprise.

"What?!"

"It usually helps if you read the file Jack." She reminded him playfully.

"I got distracted." He grumbled, remembering the fox's antics, "He interrupted me before I could review it and then went on from there. He has also refused to speak to us until he and Judy are in the same room."

"And she's said the same." Skye replied thoughtfully, "What about the other two? The panda and the tiger?"

"They're still unconscious. We may have used a little more tranquilizer than was necessary." He said sheepishly, "They're also in the most secure cells." Skye nodded her head in agreement.

"It's probably best that way. Given how some of Asha's minions escaped in the past, it's easier if they're knocked out." Skye responded.

"Do you really think Hopps and Wilde are involved with Asha?" Jack asked suddenly. The arctic fox puffed out her cheeks and sighed.

"I just don't know Jack. Hopps certainly doesn't seem like the type given her record, and Wilde was never involved in anything too bad, but with Asha you can never be sure."

"I can't tell either." He agreed, "But there is something else. I think Wilde and Hopps are dating. Wilde mentioned that he was here on vacation with his girlfriend." Skye raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Huh. Neither of them seemed much like relationship mammals, but I guess there really is somebody for everyone." She replied. Jack looked at the door that led to Judy's cell.

"Did she say anything else interesting?" Jack asked after a few moments.

"Not really." Skye responded tiredly, "But she certainly didn't think it was INTERPAW who'd captured her." Jack nodded, absorbing the information while he watched the arctic fox think.

"Hey," He said while Skye stifled a yawn, "why don't I go check with HQ to see if it's ok to let the two of them in the same room together and you take a break?"

"I'm fine." She protested, fighting back another yawn, "Besides, you can't be giving me preferential treatment remember?"

"First of all, we're both in charge, so there isn't any preferential treatment. And secondly, I would be telling any other agent to get some sleep as well. You just have the misfortune of being married to me." He finished with a grin, causing Skye to snicker.

"Fine." She said reluctantly, "But next time, I'll deal with the bureaucracy and you take a break, ok?" Jack nodded and Skye set off down the hall towards the bunkrooms.

"Who knows," He called after her, "maybe I'll come and join you after I submit the request." Skye turned around and gave the bunny an appraising look.

"Who knows," She said, copying her husband, "maybe I'll be waiting for you." With that, she wheeled around and strolled away, her tail swishing behind her. Jack started walking down the hallway the other way, towards his the outpost's command center wearing a goofy grin.

* * *

Jack walked into the command center and gave the beaver at another desk a wave. The China office was very lightly staffed. He walked over to his desk and sat down in the chair with a sigh, battling the urge to yawn. Skye wasn't the only one who was exhausted by the jet lag. They both had flown in from the main office when Asha had been sighted. He reached towards the phone so he could call his superior, but as he reached for it, it began to ring. Jack picked it up and answered.

"Hello?"

"This is Chief Bogo." The mammal on the other line said, "I need to speak with Jack or Skye Savage immediately."

"This is Jack. What can I do for you?" He replied.

"Excellent. What you can do for me is let two of my finest officers GO!" He shouted over the phone, causing Jack to wince.

"Chief Bogo, they are mammals of interest in an ongoing—"

"They're probably solving your investigation you dunce!" The irate cape buffalo interrupted, "Hopps is so clean that she gave herself a parking ticket on her first day! And Wilde is her best friend! Do you honestly believe that they're criminals?!"

"There are other circumstances that cast doubt on their innocence." Jack replied in a quiet voice, causing Bogo to snort.

"I'm on my way to INTERPAW's China office." Bogo continued as if Jack hadn't spoken, "I have already had a chat with your superior and he is allowing me on the case. We can finish sorting this out when I get there. And IF they are guilty, I will do my job. See you in six hours." With that, Jack heard the line go dead. He placed the phone back on his desk and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

" _Great._ " He thought, staring at the phone " _Now I have to deal with Asha and Chief Bogo._ " He stood up from his chair and walked back out of the room, heading for the bunkroom. He heard his phone go off and pulled it out of his pocket. He swiped on the notification and saw that it was from his boss, confirming Bogo's claims and giving him joint-authority on the case.

"Fan-freakin-tastic." Jack muttered under his breath, "Sure, just take the case we've been working on for a year and give Chief Bogo jurisdiction!" He exited his email angrily and called the agent in charge of the cell-block.

"Hey this is Jack. Transfer Hopps and Wilde to cells with beds. We're gonna have to wait a while." He hung up immediately after hearing confirmation and shoved his phone into his pocket. His paws were tied until Bogo got there. Jack walked down the hall and slipped inside the bunkroom, lying down next to his sleeping wife. If he had to wait, he might as well get some sleep.

* * *

Tigress awoke on the floor of a padded room, gentle light emitting from a fixture on the ceiling. She tried to stand up, but immediately noticed that her arms were constrained by some kind of jacket. She rolled onto her back and sprung into a sitting position from there, making herself as comfortable as possible. Tigress examined the jacket as best she could and saw that it was made of a heavy, tough material, forcing her arms to cross over each other and then fastened at the back. She pulled at the restraints to try and break free, but got nowhere. Frowning in annoyance, she tried unsheathing her claws and was rewarded with a slight puncture in the jacket. Her frown turned into a smile as she set about widening the hole. Things were looking promising.

* * *

Bogo stormed into the China HQ and approached the receptionist.

"Hello sir, how may I help you?" The male lynx asked coolly, evaluating the burly cape buffalo's threat.

"I need to speak with Jack Savage immediately." He said shortly, glaring at the mammal and placing his small suitcase on the ground beside him.

"And you are?" He prompted the larger mammal.

"I'm waiting for you to call Savage!" Bogo nearly shouted, his temper finally snapping, "So why don't you—"

"Leonard, is someone asking for me?" Skye asked, striding out of the door the receptionist was guarding.

"You must be Chief Bogo." Skye said pleasantly, holding out a paw to the clearly incensed buffalo, "It's a pleasure to have such an esteemed police officer working with us on the case." Bogo stared out the outstretched paw before finally taking it and giving it a brief shake.

"Yes, well, we should probably get down to business." He said gruffly, picking up his bag and giving the receptionist one final glare.

"Follow me then." The fox said with a smile, walking into the base. Bogo followed at a respectful distance, examining the interior of the base while they walked.

"Jack will meet us in the command center." Skye explained, "He just needed to clear something with our superior first."

"And you're his wife I'm guessing?" Bogo asked.

"That I am." She replied cheerfully.

"I wouldn't've thought that old Max would've let two agents be involved." Bogo mused aloud, "He must be getting soft in his old age."

"Maybe." Skye said with a chuckle, "Or maybe it's because we're the two most senior agents in this division and forbidding our relationship would've cost him both of us." Bogo snorted at her assessment. He had a sneaking suspicion that he might have to deal with the same situation with Hopps and Wilde.

"Here we are." Skye announced, interrupting his train of thought. Bogo gazed around the command center, unimpressed at the medium sized room with several unoccupied desks and one large television.

"Looks like the bullpen." He muttered under his breath, drawing an amused glance from Skye.

"Glorified bullpen." She corrected, leading him to where Jack was sitting and talking on the phone, "And I believe this is who you were originally looking for." Jack hung up and swiveled to face Bogo, springing to his paws.

"Chief Bogo." He said neutrally.

"Mr. Savage." He replied, raising an eyebrow at the bunny. Skye rolled her eyes at their antics and cleared her throat.

"Jack, what did the SAC have to say?" She asked, eager to move proceedings along. Jack maintained eye contact with Bogo for another second before turning to face her.

"He said that we could go ahead and let Hopps and Wilde in the same room together, on the condition that one of us is in there with them." He replied.

"Excellent." Bogo said, "I can monitor them and make sure there's nothing untoward going on."

"No." Jack said firmly, "This is our case. They are our suspects. Either Skye or I will watch them, or they can wait silently in a cell until the walls crumble around them."

"Listen here Jack;" Bogo said quietly, "I have flown halfway around the world to be here. They are my officers and I'll be damned if some arrogant bunny tries to make his case by destroying them. You can watch from the cameras, but if anyone is in there but me, they _will_ remain silent until the walls crumble around them. Now do I have to call up Max again?" Bogo waited expectantly for the fuming bunny to respond, but Jack kept his mouth shut.

"Lovely. Now could someone direct me to a place where I can leave my belongings?" Jack called over the beaver from a nearby desk.

"Justin, would you please show Chief Bogo to the bunkroom." The beaver nodded his head and motioned for Bogo to follow. The second the buffalo was out of the room, Skye slugged Jack in the shoulder.

"Owww!" He exclaimed, "What was that for?!"

"For being an idiot!" She hissed quietly, "Could you be any stupider?"

"What do you mean?" He asked indignantly.

"Jack, Chief Bogo is one of Max's oldest friends! I get that you hate how he's barging in on our case, I don't like it either, but don't be so blatant about it!"

"I'm not being blatant." Jack replied sulkily.

"The only way you could be any clearer is with a neon sign." She said exasperatedly, "Look at it from Bogo's point of view, two of his finest officers have been apprehended by a different agency on largely circumstantial evidence. He's trying to protect them. Now that doesn't mean we can't be pissed that he's here, but we have to at least try and work with him. If only because he could ruin both our careers if he wanted to." Skye finished her tirade and looked at the sullen bunny expectantly.

"Fine." He responded unhappily, "But if he actively tries to undermine our case, I will not work with him."

"Fair enough." Skye answered with a smile, "Now why don't you call the cell blocks and get our friends put in the same room."

"You know," He said, picking up the phone, "I wouldn't mind a please." Skye sighed and sat down in the chair next to his.

"Jack, would you please go through the enormously strenuous task of picking up the phone and calling the cell block?" She asked sarcastically. Jack sat down next to her and picked up the handset.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" He asked with a smirk. Skye flicked his ear with a claw.

"Just make the call dear."

* * *

Judy sat in one of the metal chairs, though this time she was free of shackles. She had just been moved to a new room after a long night on the most uncomfortable bed known to mammalkind. Needless to say, she was not a very happy bunny. She heard the door swing open behind her and mentally prepared herself to deal with another interrogation, turning her head to observe the newest interrogator, but was instead faced with a certain red fox.

"Nick!" She cried happily, jumping out of her seat and tackling him in a hug, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Carrots." He chuckled, returning the hug, "How are you doing?"

"I was worried about you." She whispered, "I thought we had been taken by Asha."

"So did I." Nick murmured, "But we weren't and we're both safe, so that's what really matters."

"But you're both in custody." Bogo interrupted, having crept unnoticed into the room during their reunion. The two mammals wheeled around to face their boss and Nick's jaw dropped open.

"Chief?!" Judy asked incredulously, "What're you doing here?!"

"I'm saving your sorry tails." He retorted, "Honestly, I send you and Wilde on two weeks of paid vacation and you manage to get involved somehow with Asha and arrested by INTERPAW."

"That wasn't exactly our fault Chief." Nick said defensively, "It's not like we wanted this to happen."

"But of course it had to happen to you two." He said with a sigh, ignoring Nick's protestations, "I'm going to need you to give me the full story. Every. Last. Detail. Got it? Because if you don't, then there's nothing I can do to help you."

"Oh Chief, you do have a heart." Nick snarked, earning an elbow from Judy.

"Sir, we're happy to tell you everything, but you might have trouble believing it." Judy said quickly before the Chief responded to Nick.

"Why is that exactly?" He asked with a frown.

"The circumstances we're in are a little… fantastic." Judy explained weakly.

"What do you mean by 'fantastic?'" He inquired suspiciously.

"Have you ever heard of the children's story 'Kung-Fu Panda?'" Judy asked with a weak smile. Bogo buried his head in his hooves.

"I'll take that as a yes." Judy said quietly as the buffalo raised his head to glower at the duo.

"Hopps, what does a children's story have to do with your current situation?"

"Well sir, it turns out that it's not just a story. It's true. And Po and Tigress are here, in this time. And they were captured with us and are now in cells somewhere in this base." Bogo stared at the bunny.

"Have you lost your mind?!" He hissed, "That is, by far, the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!"

"How 'bout this chief," Nick interrupted, with an amused smile "you listen to our story, however far-fetched it may seem, and then we'll address any and all questions at the end."

"And how am I supposed know that both of you haven't gone off the deep end?!" Bogo asked, his frustration growing.

"Regardless of fictional identity, both a panda and a tiger were captured with us. You can question them and I guarantee they'll tell you the same thing." Nick said matter-of-factly, "They may even be able to prove it to you." He added as an afterthought.

"Fine." Bogo replied, deflated, "Tell me what you claim happened."

"It started when we climbed up to visit the Pool of Sacred Tears." Judy began, "And then it all went downhill from there."

* * *

Bogo walked out of the interrogation room and was quickly confronted by Jack and Skye.

"I take it you two were listening in?" He asked tiredly, the long hours traveling finally catching up with him.

"No, we were having a party in the break room." Jack answered sarcastically, "Of course we were listening! And it looks like they'll have a pretty strong insanity defense." Skye elbowed her husband in the ribs.

"Maybe we should talk to the other mammals we captured before jumping to conclusions dear." She admonished, giving the bunny a pointed look.

"Are you serious Skye?!" He asked, turning to her, "Do you actually think they're telling the truth?"

"Let me tell you what I know agents." Bogo interrupted, "I sent Hopps and Wilde on vacation a few days ago, and at the time of leaving, they were still two of the smartest mammals in my precinct and showed no signs of instability. Their story sounds ridiculous, but I for one, am going to talk to the panda and the tiger and see if there's any truth to it."

"Fine. But this time, we go in too." Jack said grumpily.

"Agreed." Bogo said, starting to walk away from the two agents, "But first, I'm gonna need some coffee." Jack waited until Bogo was out of view and then turned to Skye.

"C'mon, you don't really think that a panda and a tiger from a thousand years magically appeared as some part of Asha's plot, do you?" Skye snorted at her husband's persistence.

"Jack, we've both seen some pretty crazy things. Do I think that it happened? Not really. But I'm not willing to dismiss it completely. Not when we've got Bogo breathing down our necks and it would provide a logical explanation as to why two decorated officers were discovered hiding in a cave with two of Asha's henchman, both of whom were tied up."

"I still think it's unlikely." Jack maintained stubbornly, "But I agree we can't afford to dismiss it while Bogo is looking for any way to get those two off the hook." He finished with a sour look, causing Skye to snicker.

"Anyways," He said, fighting a yawn, "I think I need some coffee too."

 **A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long delay. I've got lots of schoolwork, I work two days a week and I also like to find time to hang out with friends, so that's why these chapters usually take so long. On another note, this chapter is back to the normal length, so that's good. And Jack and Bogo do not get along. Maybe it has something to do with Bogo interfering in their case. Who can really say for sure? And as always, I'll get the next chapter out when I can. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Jack and Skye entered the cafeteria and found Bogo nursing a cup of coffee. They went up to the counter, grabbed some for themselves, and then sat down to join him. Bogo greeted them with a grunt.

"So," Jack began after a protracted silence, "do you have any ideas for interrogating the supposed ancient kung-fu masters residing in the cell block?" Bogo regarded the bunny tiredly and shrugged.

"The basic routine." He replied wearily, taking a sip of coffee, "There's no real way to prove who they are yet, so we should stick to the basics: verifying their story and seeing if there's a match in the database."

"Actually," Jack said uncomfortably, "there may be a way to get at least _some_ proof." Bogo raised his eyebrows and appraised the nervous bunny.

"And what might that be?" He quizzed.

"Well, they claim to be from ancient China right? So we can quiz them on the time period they claim to be from. It wouldn't be conclusive, but it could still help."

"Yes Savage, but we'd also need an expert in the history of the time period to verify what they're saying is true!" Bogo snapped at the bunny, his exhaustion and annoyance growing by the minute.

"I may, uh, have some experience in that field." Jack replied sheepishly.

"Oh Jack, you're too modest!" Skye said gleefully, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "Jack here majored in ancient Chinese culture and history while he was in school. In fact," She continued as Jack began to blush furiously, "one of his favorite subjects was the legend of the Jade Palace and its heroes." Bogo let out a bark of laughter and Jack glared at his smiling wife.

"She left out that I double majored and that my other one was math and advanced data analysis." Jack muttered sourly.

"Well then Savage," Bogo said with a smile, "it seems that we do have a plan." Bogo got up and left the cafeteria, tossing his coffee cup in a trash bin on the way out. Jack remained sitting at the table, sipping his coffee, emitting an air of wounded dignity.

"C'mon Jack, don't be so sensitive." Skye teased the bunny, "It's actually turned out to be pretty useful information, especially with Asha."

"Yeah." He said with a sigh, "I just wish it didn't sound so nerdy." Skye chuckled as the bunny stood up.

"Well, you're _my_ nerd." She said affectionately, "Now how about we go interrogate the panda? I heard he may know something about ancient China." Jack smiled at Skye and the pair walked out of the cafeteria and headed for the cellblock.

* * *

Po was awoken by the sound of footsteps outside his door. He yawned and sat up as best as he could in the straitjacket, surveying the cell around him groggily. The door swung open and a fox, bunny, and buffalo filed in and regarded him warily.

"You guys should really invest in a better bed." Po said with a yawn, earning puzzled glances from the assembled mammals.

"Mr…." Bogo began.

"Po." Po replied, "Just Po."

"Ok then." Bogo remarked, "Po, I am Chief Bogo, the chief of police for Zootopia and these two are Jack and Skye Savage, they work for INTERPAW. Now—"

"So you don't work for Asha." Po clarified, sighing in relief, "Well that's good, I was a little worried that—"

"Please. Be. Quiet!" Bogo interrupted tetchily, causing the panda to close his mouth. "You were detained in the company of Officers Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, who work for me incidentally, as well as an unknown tiger. Would you care to tell us how you came to be in such a situation?" Po regarded the chief dubiously.

"Chief Bogo, the tiger that these agents captured is named Tigress. We are both from ancient China. We came to this time in an accident involving chi that was engineered by Asha. We escaped her attack and hid in a cave, where we were quickly assaulted by other mammals, captured, imprisoned, and placed in whatever this is." He said angrily, tugging at the straitjacket, "That's the short version." Bogo sighed and turned to Jack, who cleared his throat and addressed Po.

"Po, I am an expert in the history of the time period you claim to be from. If you are really from the past, you should be able to answer my questions with ease."

"Or," Po responded, "you could let me show you that I'm telling the truth."

"And how do you propose that?" Jack challenged the panda, "Are you planning on time travelling out of here?"

"No." Po retorted, "Bring me a flower that's dead, take off this thing, and I'll show you."

"No! We're not going to just—"

"Jack," Skye interrupted, "I'll go get a potted plant, and Bogo can take off the straitjacket. You can keep a tranq gun on him the whole time, and if he can actually prove anything, our jobs will be a lot easier."

"You two can't possibly believe that this panda can do anything special can you?" Jack asked stridently.

"I trust my officers." Bogo said simply, "And your wife is trying to keep me happy so that I won't go to Max to ruin your careers." Skye looked down at the floor, embarrassed that Bogo had figured out what she was doing so easily.

"And just so you know Ms. Savage," Bogo continued, "I wouldn't do that to either of you. That being said, I would appreciate you and your husband's continued cooperation."

"Of course Chief Bogo." Skye replied, "But being perfectly honest, both of us would appreciate if you let us take the lead from this point forward."

"Fair enough." He said gruffly. Po cleared his throat and the three mammals turned to look at him again.

"I'm still here you know." He interjected, causing Skye to leave the room to retrieve a plant. Jack pulled out his tranq gun and trained it on the sitting panda while Bogo approached.

"I'm going to take that jacket off Po. I would advise you against trying anything because either Agent Savage will shoot you, or I'll knock you out myself." Po merely nodded. Bogo undid the straps binding Po's arms and quickly stepped away, clearing Jack's line of fire. Po shrugged off the jacket and shook his arms around, wincing as full feeling returned to his muscles. Po moved to stand up but was stopped by Jack.

"No."

"I'm just—"

"I don't care." Jack said flatly, "If you would like to stay conscious, stay seated."

"Fine." Po grumbled under his breath, "It's not like I've been bound in a cell for a day and a half." Jack and Bogo remained silent to the panda's quiet protestations until Skye returned carrying a shriveled orchid.

"Is this fine?" She asked Po, "It was the only one I could find."

"It should work." He replied with a nod, "If one of you will bring it over here, I can prove my story was possible." Skye approached Po's bed, staying clear of Jack's line of fire, and placed the dead flower next to Po, quickly retreating back to the entrance where Bogo and Jack were. Po looked expectantly at Jack.

"Now may I stand up?" Jack nodded his head.

"If you try anything, I will shoot." He warned. Po stood up from the bed and faced the orchid, clasping his paws in front of his heart. He closed his eyes and focused, searching for his chi, which was still sorely depleted. After a few moments, he extended his paws outward, towards the shriveled orchid, and pushed his remaining chi through his paws. Bogo, Skye, and Jack watched in awe as Po's paws began to glow and motes of golden light infused the orchid, restoring it to its former glory. Po lowered his paws and slumped to the bed, exhausted. Jack's gun fell to his side and his mouth fell open as he looked at the orchid, which had gone from a fragile, shriveled, stalk to a vibrant and supple flower, with the bloom a breathtaking blue and yellow.

"Believe me now?" Po groaned from the bed, utterly drained.

"Oh my God." Skye whispered, "That shouldn't've been possible."

"It seems that my officers were telling the truth." Bogo said, a similar look of wonder on his face, "Though it hardly seems believable." Jack walked over to the bed and picked up the flower, touching the petals in disbelief. Po sat back up and glared tiredly at all three of the shocked mammals.

"Does this mean that I'm free?" Po questioned expectantly, "Because now I could really use some rest." Jack exchanged a glance with Skye and Bogo shrugged.

"You're definitely not free." Jack began, "But I don't think we need to keep you in a cell anymore. Or for that matter, Nick and Judy." He directed at Bogo. Po smiled and rose to his paws, still somewhat shaky from his exertions.

"Jack why don't you take Po upstairs and show him where the bunks are." Skye suggested, "You can probably release Nick and Judy as well. Bogo and I will interview Tigress and then join you up there."

"You guys are going to let her go too, right?" Po asked anxiously.

"Provided she doesn't give us a reason not to." Bogo replied, "I trust Nick and Judy, and you just proved that their story is possible, but if she's dangerous, we're going to have to keep her in the cell." Po frowned and thought for a moment.

"Would you mind letting me go in first and explain the situation?" He asked hopefully, knowing that Tigress was probably going to attempt an escape. Bogo looked to Jack and Skye for their approval.

"I don't see the harm in it." Skye responded, "Jack, do you have any objections?" The bunny shook his head and Po sighed in relief.

"Alright then, follow me." Skye said, walking out of Po's cell and further down the hall. She stopped outside a heavy iron door and looked at Po.

"When you're ready to come out, just wave at the security camera. It will be the thing with the red light in the corner of the room." Skye continued, answering Po's question before he could ask it.

"Ok. But don't come in until I tell you to." Po warned.

"Why?" Jack asked suspiciously, "Are you planning something?" Po snorted.

"No. But there's a pretty good chance that Tigress is already out of the straitjacket, I think it was, and is waiting for the door to open so she can escape."

"WHAT?!" Skye yelled in alarm. Po raised both paws in the air.

"Tigress is really good at getting out of things. And if I'm the first one in there, she won't attack you guys or try to escape. That way, she doesn't have to stay in a cell forever." Jack buried his head in his paws.

"Just let him go in Skye." He sighed, "We might as well have some mammal she trusts explain it and avoid an escape attempt."

"Are we even allowed to do this Jack?" Skye asked in concern, "I realize this isn't a normal situation, but letting Po go into her cell when he claims she's planning an escape, even letting him out, seems like it could backfire." Bogo cleared his throat and his companions turned to face him.

"Ms. Savage, Max gave me oversight of you two. I have no problem with letting the panda talk to his friend and if something goes wrong, it is my responsibility." Skye nodded, her bout of uncertainty ended and opened the door for Po, quickly slamming it shut after he was inside.

* * *

Po slipped inside the door and heard the door slam closed behind him just as Tigress's straitjacket was yanked over his head and he was thrown across the room.

"Tigress stop!" He yelled in pain, "It's me!" He pulled the jacket off his face and was then able to see a clearly horrified Tigress.

"Sorry Po." She apologized, "I thought you were one of Asha's minions." Po stood up and rubbed his sore backside.

"It's fine. In fact, I expected it, that's why I came in first."

"What do you mean, 'came in first?'" Tigress asked warily, "Who else is about to come in?"

"We weren't captured by Asha." Po explained quickly, "We were captured by something called INTERPAW. I'm not exactly sure who they are, but they're working with Nick and Judy's boss. Apparently, Nick and Judy already explained everything to them, and they believe us."

"Po," Tigress began concernedly, "why're your legs shaking?" Po looked down and saw that Tigress was right. His legs were shaking. He sat down immediately and sighed.

"I had to prove to these 'agent' mammals that what happened to us was possible. So, I used my chi to make an old flower bloom again." Po replied, "I guess I'm more tired than I thought." Tigress's face filled with rage.

"They did this to you?!" She asked furiously, "I'm going to—"

"Tigress," Po interrupted, "It's ok. I had to do it to prove we weren't lying, and I'm tired for now, but I'll be fine later. Don't worry about me." Tigress walked over to where he was sitting and joined Po on the floor.

"I know." She said grumpily, leaning against him slightly, "I'm glad you're ok though." She added quietly. Po smiled and put his arm around Tigress.

"I'm glad you're ok too." He added warmly, "But I hate being knocked out by those stupid darts."

"It's cheating to use darts." Tigress agreed sulkily, annoyed that she'd been brought down by a pinprick. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes until Po was capable of standing again. With Tigress's assistance, he staggered to his paws.

"You're not going to attack them when they come in will you?" Po asked dryly, causing Tigress to chuckle.

"I won't attack them when they come inside." Tigress replied.

"Tigress…" Po began, "Will you attack them after they come in?" Tigress glared at the panda.

"No." She responded reluctantly. Po waved at the camera that was emitting a red light in the corner of the cell.

"I'll see you soon then." He said with a smile as the door opened. Tigress gave him one last smile before he slipped out the door and a bunny and a fox entered.

"Ms. Tigress," The bunny began, "I am—"

"Master Tigress." She corrected under her breath, eliciting a frustrated groan from the bunny.

"Not again." She heard him muttering while the fox chuckled.

" _Master_ Tigress," The fox began, emphasizing the word 'master', "I am Agent Skye Savage, and this is my husband, Agent Jack Savage. We have spoken with both Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, as well as your friend Po about your current situation. While we are satisfied that you are in fact from ancient China and that you are not currently working with Asha, we do have some concerns over letting you out of this cell." Tigress motioned for her to go on.

"Especially given the conversation you just had with Po."

"How did you hear that?" Tigress asked in shock, "It was just Po and I!"

"That blinking red light in the corner," Skye said, pointing towards the camera, "shows us and lets us hear everything going on in this room." Tigress stood, dumbfounded by the existence of such a thing.

"Either way," Skye continued, "You are a potential threat."

"So is Po." Tigress countered, "I'm no more of a threat than he is." Skye chuckled.

"I'm fairly certain that's not true." She said confidently, "Now—"

"Actually, Skye," Jack interrupted, "according to records, Po is as dangerous, if not more so than Tigress." Skye sighed.

"I wasn't saying that he wasn't a potential threat." She clarified, "I was saying that he was less likely to initiate hostility than Tigress. Who escaped her straightjacket and was planning to ambush us, I might add."

"I thought I was captured by Asha." Tigress said with a shrug, "I had no qualms about attacking her or her mammals, and honestly, given the manner in which you captured us, I wouldn't've felt that bad about it being you either."

"How is that supposed to convince us to let you out of the cell?" Jack asked exasperatedly.

"It's not." Tigress replied coolly, "I am simply being honest. At this moment, I don't particularly like either of you. But I do trust Po. So I give you my word, as a mammal and as a master at the Jade Palace, that I will not attack you or anyone else here unless they pose an imminent threat to the safety of myself, Po, Nick, or Judy." Skye and Jack exchanged a look and began walking towards the door.

"We'll be back shortly." Jack said, opening the door, "We just need to discuss some things." With that, the door slammed behind them and Tigress was once again all alone in the cell.

* * *

Skye and Jack walked out of the cell and up to the command center where Nick, Judy, Bogo, and Po were all sitting around a large table.

"Where's Tigress?" Po asked anxiously, "Are you going to let her out?"

"That's actually why we're up here." Skye said with a sigh, "We don't know." Judy gave Nick a worried glance.

"Why wouldn't you let her out?" She asked angrily, "Po proved that our story was true and she's done nothing wrong other than being apprehended under false pretenses!"

"It's not that simple." Jack responded, "Yes, she isn't guilty of working with Asha, but she also planned an ambush so she could escape the cell."

"Yeah, and I stopped it!" Po shot back, "Besides, she thought we were all being held by Asha! Are you telling us that you wouldn't try to escape if she captured you?!"

"If Asha got one of us, I doubt we'd have the opportunity." Jack said flatly, "Even though she thought we were with Asha initially, Tigress freely admitted that she would have no qualms about attacking us." Jack smiled slightly as his last comment silenced their protestations. That smile immediately faded when Bogo cleared his throat.

"Actually Mr. Savage," he began, "Tigress said that she wouldn't've felt bad about you falling into her ambush, given the manner in which she was captured. She also said she didn't particularly like either of you. But at no point did she say that she would attack without a second thought."

"Semantics." Jack replied, glaring at the cape buffalo, "She's still a risk."

"How about this." Judy interrupted, "You let Tigress out of the cell and either Nick or I will watch her and make sure that she doesn't attack anyone. If she does, you can arrest all of us again."

"Great idea Judy." Skye replied before Jack could argue further, "Jack, why don't we go let Tigress out." The bunny let out a defeated sigh and followed his wife out of the room.

"I still don't like letting her out of the cell." He grumbled while they walked towards the cell block, "Just because they're watching her doesn't mean she'll behave."

"Jack, right now, we're outnumbered. Bogo started interfering in the case and now Nick and Judy will too. Our best option right now is to work with them and use them to our advantage."

"You just said we were outnumbered on our own case! How can we use that to our advantage?!"

"You heard their story. Asha brought Po and Tigress here and then attacked all four of them. They want her just as bad as we do. And more importantly, she wants something from them. We've been chasing Asha ever since she started, and we've barely come close, but now, we can draw her out."

"You want to use them as bait." Jack stated, stopping in his tracks, "Skye, we can't trick them into being bait for a trap! Not only is it wrong, but they're also not that stupid!"

"Not what I meant." She replied quickly, "I don't want to trick them, and we don't need to either. Luring Asha out into the open is the best plan, and I'm willing to bet they know that. But we do need to work with them because they will feel a lot more comfortable with the plan if they trust us." Jack nodded in understanding and resumed walking. The pair approached Tigress's cell and keyed in the code. They pulled the door open and saw Tigress sitting on the floor in meditation. The tiger opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow at the duo.

"Come with us please." Jack said, holding the door open for her. Tigress sprang to her paws and exited the cell, suppressing the urge to smile.

"Just to be clear," Jack began as they walked back to the command center, "you and Po will remain under the supervision of Nick or Judy at all times. If either of you assault anyone, all four of you will be arrested again. And this time, you won't be let out."

"Understood." Tigress replied as they neared the room.

"Chief, it's the best plan." Judy pleaded as Jack, Skye, and Tigress entered the room, "What could you possibly have against it?"

"Are you joking Hopps? Your 'plan' has more holes than swiss cheese!" Skye cleared her throat and the four mammals at the table turned to look at her.

"Perhaps you'd like to tell us what plan this is?" Skye asked while Tigress slipped into the room and sat down next to Po.

"These geniuses," Bogo began, gesturing at Nick and Judy, "want to set a trap for Asha and be the bait."

"Well, we wouldn't be the bait per say," Judy interrupted, "Really we'd be more—"

"Hopps!" Bogo yelled, leaning forward and slamming his fist on the table, "It's a bad idea! It's unnecessarily dangerous and might not even work!"

"It's not like we haven't done dangerous things before chief." Nick replied angrily, "And we'd have you, Po, Tigress, and a team of INTERPAW agents covering the area. If we play it right, we can capture Asha."

"Or," Bogo responded heatedly, "you'll be captured or killed yourselves, we will have lost the element of surprise, and Asha will have gotten exactly what she wants." Bogo locked eyes with his two officers and tried to stare them down.

"I agree with Nick and Judy." Jack said suddenly.

"What?!" Bogo said, whipping his head around to face Jack.

"You're too close to the situation." He continued, standing his ground, "They're your officers and you want to protect them, so you're ignoring the best plan we have." Bogo looked at the bunny in bewilderment and leaned back in his chair.

"Are you sure it's me who's too close to the situation Agent Savage!" Bogo spat furiously, "Because it seems to me that you've been chasing the same crook for a long time and you're desperate! So desperate that you're willing to risk the lives of two of my officers for the slightest chance to capture her!"

"Quiet!" Tigress shouted, stunning the fighting mammals into silence. "Stop fighting and think! We have something Asha wants. We have the perfect opportunity to trap her! We need to do something!"

"Tigress is right." Skye said, "We need to do something. We can't just sit around and wait for Asha to move. We need to be proactive. I vote that we go forward with the plan."

"Is that what we're doing?" Bogo interrupted, "Voting on it?"

"Seems like a fair way to do it." Jack replied, "I'm for it as well."

"I'm for it on one condition." Po began, "Nick and Judy have already risked enough for us. I can be the bait."

"Po, we're not just going to leave you by yourself as bait." Nick protested, "What if she brings more henchmammals with her?" Po shrugged.

"You already said there would be backup there. All I'd have to do is hold out for a few minutes."

"Po's right." Tigress said, forestalling Judy's protests, "You two have risked enough for us. I don't love the idea of Po being the bait, if he says he can do it, he can."

"Fine." Judy sighed. Jack looked around the table.

"Final vote." He announced, "All those in favor of this plan, raise your paw." Everyone but Bogo put there paw in the air.

"Excellent." Skye said with a smile, "We've got some work to do."

 **A/N: I'm alive! Sorry for the huge gap between updates, I'm nearing the end of the school year so all of my teachers decided to give me lots work. How dare they. Anyways, here's this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. I tried to shift the perspective around a few different characters and change it up a little bit so I hope that was good. As for the next chapter, I can't really make any promises on timelines, but what I can say is that I will get to it. I may not always be the fastest, but it will get done. That's about it. Thanks for reading!**


	8. The Ambush

Po stood in front of the ruins of the Jade Palace, a cool breeze rustling his fur. He waited, holding the golden staff Asha desired in his paw. This was the plan. Po all alone on the mountaintop, a sitting duck, holding what Asha was so desperate to obtain. Unfortunately for Asha, he wasn't all alone. Hidden in Shifu's vault were Tigress, Nick, Judy, Bogo, Skye, and Jack, all ready to leap to his defense. In the cave system they had resided in earlier, there was another team, put in place to cut off Asha's escape route. Everything was accounted for. There was a backup plan and a backup to the backup. The group of mammals had spent hours deliberating on every last detail, striving to foresee every possible outcome, until at last, the ambush was ready. They gave Po an earpiece and explained how it worked. They had several hidden cameras covering every inch of the ruins, ensuring that Asha couldn't set up an ambush of her own. In short, it was one of the most well planned and supported ambushes in INTERPAW's history. There was only one problem. Asha never showed up.

"Guys," Po said, pressing his earpiece while his teeth chattered, "I don't think she's coming." Jack looked over the camera feeds again and shook his head at Skye.

"Alright." She said, "Head into the ruins and come to the vault." Skye put down the radio and frowned as they watched Po walk into the temple. A few moments after he disappeared from the camera feed, he strolled into Shifu's room and opened the vault to reveal his companions. The group of mammals immediately left the small room and spread out.

"It was a little cramped in there, wasn't it?" Nick remarked, stretching his arms and back.

"It wasn't that bad." Judy disagreed, "It certainly wasn't worse than a burrow." Jack nodded his agreement and Nick shivered at the thought of being trapped in a cramped, underground burrow.

"Why didn't she show up?" Po asked, "I thought we leaked that I would be here with the staff tonight."

"So did I." Skye said, giving Jack a meaningful look.

"It wasn't me." He replied quickly, raising his paws in the air, "I leaked it to every reliable source we have." Skye frowned.

"Maybe she figured out it was a trap?" She ventured, "If she knew that we were waiting for her, she probably wouldn't risk it."

"No." Tigress interjected, shaking her head, "That wouldn't stop her. If Asha truly has the resources you claim—"

"She does." Jack clarified.

"Then she would still come for the staff." Tigress continued, "She wants it enough to bring two kung-fu masters thousands of years into the future and fight them for it. Asha wouldn't be discouraged by a few INTERPAW agents."

"Maybe she just didn't hear about it?" Nick suggested, "You say your sources are reliable, but do they have any concrete connections to Asha?"

"You could be right." Skye admitted reluctantly, "Our snitches have a tenuous connection at best and they might have been too scared to send Asha walking into an ambush."

"You told them it was an ambush?" Bogo interrupted, raising an eyebrow at Jack.

"Of course not!" Jack said dismissively, "But they aren't that stupid. They could probably figure out that this whole thing was a setup."

"Alright then," Bogo sighed, "let's head back to base and we can make a new plan there."

"Is there another plan?" Nick asked, "This was all we had. It's pretty clear that INTERPAW can't find Asha on their own and the only times they've gotten close to her, she's slipped away."

"What do you mean 'it's pretty clear that INTERPAW can't find her on their own?!'" Skye retorted, "Like you could do any better."

"I'm pretty sure I could track down one lousy leopard." Nick scoffed, "After all, we've been in China for about two days and we've already met her twice."

"She found you." Skye replied bitingly, "Not the other way around. There's a big difference."

"And how many times has she found you exactly?" Nick shot back. Skye let out a low growl.

"Hey, it's ok." Jack said, touching Skye's arm. The vixen gave Nick one last glare before storming out of the room.

"And for your information Wilde," Jack began, "Asha's found us twice. Once with a death threat, carved into our door, the other with a gift basket sent to Skye's mother on her birthday." The striped bunny turned tail and left the room, following his angry wife.

Nick felt a heavy dread settle in his gut and he stared blankly at the floor.

"Crap." He swore under his breath. Po and Tigress exchanged an uncomfortable look and Bogo, as ever, was unreadable.

"I didn't mean to—" He began, breaking the silence, "I didn't think that—"

"Those are the things that happen when you're hunting the head of a criminal organization Wilde." Bogo said gruffly. Nick gave his boss a guilty look before turning his attention to Judy.

"Are they still here Judy?" Nick asked quietly. Judy grabbed the laptop from the vault and checked the cameras.

"Yep." She replied, "They're at the top of the stairs." Nick nodded his head and slipped out of the room.

"That got ugly fast." Po whispered to Tigress. Tigress turned her head and raised an incredulous eyebrow at the panda.

"You're right." He muttered, "Not now." Po cleared his throat and Judy and Bogo turned to face him.

"So, anyone have any ideas on a new plan?" Po asked awkwardly. Judy shrugged her shoulders and looked at Bogo.

"Right now our best bet is standard operating procedure." Bogo sighed, "Keep our ears open and wait for Asha to make a mistake."

"And how long should that take exactly?" Po prompted.

"It will take however long it takes." Bogo stated, leaning against the wall, "Once we get back to HQ we should be able to plan it out more thoroughly."

"And when can we head back?" Po questioned.

"Once Nick apologizes for being so obtuse." Judy replied, "Because we are not going out there and interrupting them."

"Yeah, that's probably best." Po trailed off as silence overtook the room once more. Tigress gave Po an amused look.

'What?" He whispered. Tigress chuckled.

"Nothing." She muttered back, leaning closer to the panda so he could hear, "I just think you're cute when you're impatient."

"Oh." Po blushed slightly as Tigress returned to her original position.

 _"I guess we just wait then."_ Po thought.

* * *

Nick hurried out of the ruins and saw Jack and Skye sitting next to each other at the top of the steps, conversing in low tones. He moved closer to them and cleared his throat, causing both mammals to jerk their heads up.

"Look, Skye," Nick began awkwardly, "I didn't mean to—"

"Please leave me alone." She interrupted icily, turning back to face Jack.

"But I—"

"Leave. Me. Alone." Skye repeated, her voice becoming dangerously low.

"Would you just let me—"

"WHAT PART OF LEAVE ME ALONE DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!?" Skye screamed, jumping to her paws and storming towards Nick, "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!"

Nick gulped as he looked at the fuming vixen inches from his face.

"I know that I was way out of line—" He tried again before Skye cut him off.

"Do you?" She muttered bitterly, "Asha carved a death threat into our front door. We packed our things and ran away. We haven't been home since."

"I had no idea—"

"But that wasn't it, you see," Skye continued quietly, "because violating our home wasn't enough, she had to go after my mother too. Asha sent her a gift basket for her birthday. There wasn't anything dangerous in it, but she left a note. Because for her, it isn't just about winning, or getting away, it's about torturing her opponent. My mother had to go into protective custody. We haven't contacted any of our friends in over six months because if we did, she might find them too."

"I can't imagine—"

"So you see Wilde," Skye uttered, "you were out of line the minute you touched this case. The case we have worked on for a year, endangering our lives and the lives of our loved ones. It has cost us incalculably." Tears began to form in Skye's eyes as she let her pent up emotions out into the open. Nick just stood there in stunned silence.

"I, I, I am so sorry." Nick stammered, "I had no idea that any of that happened."

"None of you did." Skye said venomously, "You just thought that you could waltz in and take control because we're just bad at our jobs."

"That's not what we thought." Nick countered, "Asha hasn't just gone after you two. I'm sorry if it seems like we're trying to take control, but we just want to see her stopped!" Skye glared at Nick and was about to unleash another tirade, but stopped when Jack put a paw on her arm.

"Both of you need to calm down." Jack began, "Skye, Nick was way out of line and he knows it. Don't make it about them getting involved in the case. We can deal with that later." Skye turned her gaze to Jack and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Good." Jack sighed in relief, "And Nick, you clearly came here to apologize, so why don't you do that instead of getting into a shouting match with my wife." Nick looked at the ground in embarrassment and nodded his agreement.

"Skye," He began, looking up at the angry vixen, "I am sorry for what I said. I was immature and insensitive. I had no idea that Asha had ever done such awful things to you and it will never happen again."

"Good." Skye replied before storming back into the ruins. Jack was about to follow her, but Nick stopped him before he could go.

"Thank you." Nick said awkwardly, "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Don't thank me." Jack replied, "Just don't be such a jerk next time." With that, the black-striped bunny hustled after his wife, leaving Nick all by himself.

* * *

"Gather up our gear." Skye said in a clipped tone, strolling back into Shifu's room, "We're headed back to HQ."

"Already done." Judy responded, pointing to the bulging duffel bag in the corner. Skye gave no indication that she heard the bunny, instead pulling a hand-held radio out of her pocket.

"Agent Cooper this is Agent Savage. Pack up and head back to base. She didn't show."

"Roger that." A voice crackled back over the radio. Skye shoved it back into her pocket and glanced over the room of standing mammals.

"Let's go!" She shouted before turning and walking out of the room. Bogo picked up the bag of equipment and followed her out.

"Well that was interesting." Judy commented.

"That's one way to put it." Tigress agreed, heading for the exit with Po following close behind. Nick reentered the room and approached Judy.

"I guess the apology didn't go that well, huh?" Judy asked the subdued vulpine. Nick shrugged his shoulders.

"Define well." Nick requested dryly, "I tried to apologize, but she's not just angry about what I said. She's worried about her mother, herself, Jack, and resents that we're butting in on their case. She just let it all out and I don't know if we can continue working without dealing with it."

"Great." Judy groaned, "Now we have to deal with a psychopath _and_ this. Let's go Nick."

* * *

Skye walked into the China office with Jack, Po, Nick, Judy, Tigress, and Bogo following her. Skye eyed the empty waiting room with trepidation

"Jack, did you tell Leonard he could leave early?" Skye asked. Jack shook his head. Skye walked over to the door leading into the HQ and turned the handle. It swung open without resistance.

"That should've been locked." She murmured. Without warning Skye started sprinting towards the command center.

"Skye!" Jack shouted, scrambling after her, "What are you doing!?" The rest of the group followed as well, trying to keep up with the two INTERPAW agents. They finally reached the command center and stopped. Skye let out a growl of anger as she saw the receptionist, Leonard, cuffed to the legs of a table, unconscious. On the surface of the table was a crude smiley face, scratched into the wood with a claw.

"She knew about the ambush." Jack said angrily, grinding his teeth together, "So she broke into our headquarters while we were waiting!"

"What could she want though?" Judy asked, "She was after the staff, and we had that with us."

"Maybe she thought we'd bring a decoy and leave the real one here?" Nick suggested.

"Doubtful." Bogo replied, "She knows we wouldn't let that staff out of our sight."

"Oh no." Po muttered. He ran towards the bunkrooms.

"I'll be right back!" He shouted, "I just need to check something!" Tigress let out a sigh and jogged after the panda, leaving the modern mammals to speculate.

"Is there any information she could've been after?" Nick asked Jack, "Something about her or other criminals?" Jack shook his head.

"Everything is digital. And she could bring in the best hacker she could find and it would still take them a week to crack it."

"I can't believe she got to us again." Skye seethed, "I am going to throw that mangy, little—"

"It's gone!" Po shouted, barging back into the room, "That's what she was after!"

"What's gone?" Judy asked.

"The Dragon Scroll."

 **A/N: I can explain. I'm so sorry that it took this long to update. I was on vacation and then I got sidetracked by another story (if anyone's interested, it's The Tale of Harecules), then I had AP test week (7 tests. SEVEN), and then I finally got around to finishing it. I know it's kinda short, sorry, I wanted to get it out sooner rather than later and this is what I got. On the bright side, I'm done with high school! I graduate next week! Anyways, Skye's getting a little angry this chapter. Who knows how that'll turn out. I'm going to need a little time for the next chapter (sorry!) I'm pretty busy this week and I have to start work on a birthday present for someone. Also Caskett93, you're a good human being. Thanks for reading guys! (And sorry for the delay!)**


	9. The Chase Begins

"She took the Dragon Scroll?" Judy asked, a confused look on her face, "Why would she want that?"

"Are we sure that was even what she was after?" Nick asked, "Jack, did she let her mammals out of their cells?" Jack shrugged.

"Let me check." He replied, walking over to his computer. As he logged in, Skye did her best to rouse the unconscious receptionist. After a few attempts, Leonard let out a low groan and came to.

"What happened?" He asked groggily, attempting to rub the back of his head but having his movement arrested by the pawcuffs.

"Asha broke in and knocked you out." Skye said. Bogo walked over and lifted the heavy conference table a few inches, allowing the pawcuffs to slide off.

"Thanks." Leonard muttered, struggling to his paws and rubbing his head. Bogo waved his hoof dismissively.

"Go get some rest." He ordered gently, "And put some ice on that head. We don't want you any worse off than you already are." The lynx nodded and shuffled out of the room, headed for the bunks.

"They're still here." Jack called as Leonard left, swiveling around in his chair to face the group of mammals, "Unless she bothered to put the surveillance on a loop after they'd already left." Judy frowned and began pacing across the room.

"What could she want the scroll for?" She mused aloud, "Why was it worth breaking in and taking it while we were gone?"

"Could she sell it?" Skye asked, "It's from ancient China and it's supposedly rare and valuable. Jack, how much could that be worth on the black market?" Jack thought for a moment.

"Maybe a million?" He answered, "It could be more, it could be less. Value is contingent upon how much a mammal would be willing to pay. That's assuming that Asha can convince them it's the real deal."

"Well, then the question is, does she need to money?" Bogo interjected, "Would that amount be motivation enough to break into your base?" Skye and Jack exchanged a look.

"No." Skye sighed, "We have a rough idea of how much money she takes in and a few million would be a drop in the bucket."

"What else could it be?!" Tigress interrupted, "If you say it's not valuable enough to be worth her time, why did she take it?!" She turned to Po besides her, but he was lost in thought.

"Anyone have any bright ideas?" Tigress asked.

"It could've been just to mess with us." Nick began slowly, "A distraction, like a con."

"Misdirection." Judy stated, "Keep us from noticing what's really going on."

"Exactly." He replied, "I used it all the time when I was hustling. It's like a magic show. While they're distracted, they're money disappears." Bogo raised an eyebrow at the smiling fox.

"Erm, the staff disappears." Nick corrected with a weak smile aimed at his boss.

"That is something Asha would do." Skye said.

"It could also be something else." Po interrupted, his theory finally worked out, "Asha took the Dragon Scroll. We've been bickering over why, but what if the reason is simpler than we thought?"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"According to legend, the Dragon Scroll is _supposed_ to give you enormous power."

"But Po, you and I both saw that the scroll was useless." Tigress interjected.

"Yes, but does she know that?" He countered, "Think about it, why does Asha want the staff? Power. Why would she want the scroll? Power. It makes sense."

"She _has_ to know the scroll doesn't do anything though." Skye disagreed, "Asha is meticulous. She wouldn't just take it on faith that a scrap of paper could give her powers beyond belief." Po snorted.

"Skye, look at me." He commanded, gesturing at his chubby frame, "I was an overweight, clumsy panda who had never done kung-fu in his entire life. Then I'm chosen to be the Dragon Warrior and suddenly I'm a master? Trust me, the average mammal wouldn't think I just had a great teacher, especially with the legend of the Dragon Scroll. Every single account that Asha has read will attribute my accomplishments to 'the power of the Dragon Scroll.'" He finished, placing air quotes around the last statement.

"Alright, fine." Skye responded, holding her paws up in surrender, "Say that is the case. How do we find her?" Po shrugged his shoulders and the room grew silent.

"Do you have access to traffic cams?" Judy ventured. Jack nodded his head.

"I see what you're getting at Carrots." Nick interrupted.

"What is she getting at?" Jack prompted the smirking fox.

"She wants to use traffic cams to track Asha." Nick replied, "It's the same way we discovered the asylum where Lionheart was hiding savage mammals."

"I still can't believe they let him out of prison." Judy muttered under her breath.

"That's all well and good," Skye began, "but this isn't exactly Zootopia. We don't have cameras every twenty feet."

"No, but we can still track them." Jack said, his eyes lighting up, "All we need to do is to figure out what vehicle they're in! Then we can see every time they passed a camera and establish likely hideouts!" Jack spun back around to face his computer and began tapping away furiously. Skye raised an amused eyebrow at her husband's excitement, still skeptical of the plan.

"Got it!" He shouted a few seconds later, "She was driving in a blue sedan, license plate 1SH1ZA28UI!"

"That was fast." Bogo remarked.

"She parked right outside the base. Right in front of a camera." Jack replied, looking at the computer suspiciously, "It's a little too convenient for my liking, but it's all we've got."

"Did you see where it went?" Tigress asked. Jack kept his eyes fixed on the screen.

"Working on that now." He answered. Judy let out a monstrous yawn.

"Wherever she is, I vote we wait until tomorrow morning to go after her." Judy said, finishing her action.

"Agreed." Nick said, stifling a yawn of his own.

"I could use some sleep as well." Po added, looking at Tigress, who simply shrugged.

"Fine." Skye said, "We'll wait until tomorrow morning." Nick, Judy, and Po all let loose sighs of relief and Bogo chuckled at the tired mammals.

"Savage?" He asked the striped bunny, "Have you found where she went yet?"

"Yes and no." He replied, turning to face the group, "I was able to track Asha as she drove, but she entered a neighborhood that doesn't really have many cameras. On the bright side, she didn't leave it because the surrounding traffic cams didn't clock anyone leaving. But—"

"We have to figure out where she is in the neighborhood." Skye sighed. Jack nodded glumly.

"Unfortunately." The bunny confirmed.

"Why can't this ever be easy?" Skye complained, "Is there anything unusual in the neighborhood that sticks out? Something that would make a good base?" Jack shook his head.

"Not really." He replied, squinting at the screen, "There's a few restaurants, two warehouses, and a club called "The Striped Escape.'" Skye thought for a moment, nibbling on one of her claws.

"Ok, tomorrow morning, we'll split into teams and clear the two warehouses and the club." Skye decided, looking at Jack for agreement. The bunny nodded his head.

"Skye and I will be together," Jack continued, "Nick will go with Tigress, and Judy, Po, and Bogo will go together."

"And why are you splitting Tigress and I up, but not yourselves?" Po inquired.

"Because both of you are from ancient China." Bogo answered for Jack, "We can't have you leading a team by yourselves because you lack the necessary knowledge of today's technology. Also, if you were to be separated from your team, you would be completely lost."

"It's ok Po, I'll be fine." Tigress said.

"I know you will." He replied, looking into her eyes, "But that doesn't mean I wouldn't rather be with you." Tigress returned his stare and the two mammals leaned in closer to each other.

"Ahem!" Nick coughed, shattering the moment and causing both mammals to blush.

"Sorry, I had something in my throat." He said with a sly grin as Po and Tigress averted their eyes.

"What locations are we each taking?" Judy asked Skye.

"Jack, Nick, Tigress, and myself will take a warehouse." Skye told her, "I want the larger team to investigate the club. With the extra mammals, you should be able to watch out for ambushes."

"Are we all in agreement?" Jack asked the assembled group. One by one they all nodded their heads.

"Excellent." He said, getting to his paws and stretching, "I'll see you all in the morning then."

* * *

Po pulled a pillow over his head and groaned. He had been lying there for three hours, completely unable to sleep. He lifted the pillow off his face and looked around at his friends, all of whom were sound asleep. As quietly as he could, Po slipped out of bed and tiptoed from the room, slowly closing the door behind him. He squinted as he entered the hallway, his eyes adjusting the brightness of the lights after the darkness of the bunkroom. Po leaned against the wall and let out a sigh. He doubted he'd be getting any sleep tonight.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Tigress asked, causing the panda to spin around. Tigress chuckled at his panic.

"Relax Po, it's just me." She continued, easing the door to the bunks closed. "Sometimes I wish you would stop sneaking up on me." He replied, letting the tension out of his muscles and waiting for the brief surge of adrenaline to cease.

"Maybe you should just be a little more vigilant." Tigress suggested with a smile. Po rolled his eyes at the smirking tiger.

"Whatever." He said, leaning against the wall and sliding to the ground. Tigress stifled a laugh at his antics before sitting down next to him.

"Was something bothering you Po?" She asked.

"No, it's just," He faltered, "and this is going to sound a little weird, but it's just that the beds are too comfortable. It's like I'm in a giant marshmallow. I can't sleep, it's just too agh…" Po trailed off, unable to fully articulate what was so odd about it.

"I was actually having the same problem." Tigress commented, "Who would make a bed that soft? What's the point?"

"I know right!" Po exclaimed in a hushed tone, "But why did you think something was wrong?"

"Because the last time you couldn't sleep and I followed you outside was at Gongmen City when you were having an identity crisis." Tigress replied dryly, "Would it be so surprising if something like that happened again?"

"I guess you're right." Po chuckled.

"My four favorite words." Tigress said with relish. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the time spent next to each other.

"Do you ever think about how we got here?" Po asked, breaking the silence, "Like to _this_ moment." Tigress thought for a moment, her tail swishing side to side on the floor.

"It is pretty incredible, isn't it?" She answered, "You used to work in a noodle shop."

"And you used to pretend you didn't have feelings." Po countered, earning a laugh from the tiger.

"All that, and then we're rocketed a few thousand years into the future." Po mused, "It's just so _weird_!" Tigress nodded her head lazily.

"I've definitely seen some things that I would never have thought could be possible." She said, leaning against the panda, "Some of the things they have in this time, I have no clue how they work, or how it relates to when we came from. I just wonder what we'll do if we get home."

"What do you mean?" Po asked. Tigress shifted to look the panda in the eyes.

"Come on Po, I know you've thought about it too. How're we going to explain where we were? When we were? How do we go back to our time and reconcile it with what we know about the future?" As Tigress spoke, more worry crept into her voice.

"You're right." Po replied, "There's a lot of things we'll have to deal with. But _when_ ," He continued, emphasizing the word, "we do get home, we can do it. And I have one answer right now."

"Which one?" Tigress prompted.

"Well, when everyone asks where we were, we can just tell them we eloped." Tigress shot up.

"Po, are you, are you, asking me to marry you?" Tigress stammered, flabbergasted by his proposal. Po blushed and looked up at the rigid tiger.

"Yes?" He answered hopefully. Tigress grabbed one of his paws and yanked him to his feet. Po stared into her eyes, hoping to discern some reaction or answer, but she was inscrutable. After a few moments he gave her a rueful smile and was about to turn away, but she seized him and pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

"I take that as a yes?" Po asked breathlessly, breaking away from Tigress briefly. She nodded her head once and pulled him back in. After a few more seconds of celebration, the pair broke apart again.

"We should get some sleep." Tigress said reluctantly, "I don't want to be tired before we run into Asha."

"Yeah…" Po agreed, "I just hope that this time I can actually fall asleep."

"I have an idea that might help with that." Tigress said. The pair crept back into the room and Tigress snickered as she looked at Nick's bed.

"Looks like someone else stole my idea." She whispered in Po's ear. Po craned his neck and saw that nestled up against the sleeping fox was one Ms. Judy Hopps. Po grinned as he realized what Tigress' "idea" was. He laid down in his bunk and was quickly joined by his now fiancé. As Po drifted off, Tigress began to purr in contentment. His last memory before sleep overtook him was the deep, reassuring rumble of the tiger besides him.

* * *

Bogo was the first to wake up and almost choked when he turned the lights on. Originally, the group of mammals had each claimed their own bed and appeared to have slept in it. However, at some point during the night, Judy had moved to Nick's bed, Jack had moved to Skye's, and Tigress to Po's. Bogo sighed and pulled out his phone.

 _"This might come in handy later."_ He thought, smirking as he photographed each sleeping pair. Bogo walked over to the door and opened it. He waited for a second, smiled, and then slammed it shut again, as hard as he could. Judy shot up like a cork, her eyes bright and ears perky. The reaction from the others was more measured. Nick opened his eyes and glared at the buffalo from his supine position. Jack and Skye slowly rolled out of bed, shivering as they left the covers. Po continued to snore.

"Po." Tigress said, poking the slumbering panda with a claw, "Time to get up." After a few more prods, Po finally opened his eyes and let out a soft groan. Tigress smiled and stood up, trusting him to continue waking up on his own.

"Wilde." Bogo began, "Are you going to get up, or am I going to have to haul your sorry tail out of bed?" The fox continued to glare at the buffalo, but shifted himself into a sitting positon. Bogo gave a nod and opened the door to leave.

"You all should stop at the armory before we head out." He suggested, "Asha won't be easy to take." Bogo walked out and closed the door behind him.

"He's right." Skye yawned, stretching her arms above her head, "We don't want Asha tranqing us." Po hauled himself out of bed and stood up.

"Lead the way." He said, gesturing at the door. Po was not eager to be tranquilized for the third time in as many days.

* * *

"We're going to be in small teams." Jack began, gesturing at a map spread out on the conference room table, "Each team will have a few backup mammals, but they'll mainly be covering the exits."

"Wait, you're telling us that we're going to be clearing the buildings ourselves?" Nick asked incredulously, "How're we supposed to do that safely." Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't like it either." He replied, "But we only have one extra team here right now and we can't afford to wait for another. All of you have emergency transponders built into your gear, if you find Asha, activate it." Po looked down at the black tactical vest that he'd been given.

"Uh, how would you do that exactly?" He asked.

"It's right here." Skye said, indicating to the top right hand pocket on her own, "If you run into Asha, just slam your paw against it and it will activate. We'll all get a signal from it and come help."

'How much backup are we going to have exactly?" Judy queried.

"Two mammals." Skye said heavily, "Our extra team only has five mammals so Jack and I get two, Nick and Tigress get two, and you, Bogo, and Po, get one."

"We're dead." Nick muttered to himself. He looked over at Judy, expecting to be reprimanded, but she just nodded her head in agreement.

"Is everyone ready?" Jack asked.

"Does it matter if we are?" Nick asked dryly.

"I'll take that as a yes." Jack muttered, "Nick, Agent Cooper and Justin are already at the first warehouse conducting surveillance. Chief Bogo, Agent Ford is doing the same at the club." Jack looked around the table at the unlikely group of allies.

"This is our chance to catch that scumbag, let's make it count."

* * *

Nick and Tigress stood outside the entrance to the warehouse, ready to burst inside.

"Cooper, do you have the back exit covered?" Nick hissed into his earpiece. There was a moment of silence before he responded.

"Nobody's getting out this way." He responded, "If they're in there, they're trapped." Nick unholstered his tranq gun and gave the nod to Tigress. She kicked the door and the lock came out of the doorjamb with a loud crack. Nick rolled into the building with his gun in front of him, searching for any hostiles. Tigress followed him in and the two began to sweep the warehouse. Though it was relatively small, it took them nearly twenty minutes to clear the main room, checking each nook and cranny in the aisles of metal shelving and cardboard boxes. After they had cleared it, Nick held up a clenched paw, halting Tigress.

"This is Nick checking in." He whispered, a paw pressed to his earpiece, "Anyone have any luck?"

"Nothing." Skye's voice crackled back, "Our warehouse was almost completely empty. Nothing on the floor or in the back."

"Judy?" Nick asked.

"We checked the basement and the attic." She responded, "There's nobody here except one extremely annoyed owner. What about you?"

"We still have to clear the back room." Nick told her, "But nothing so far." Nick took his paw off his headset and started towards the office door. He put his back against the wall next to it and nodded to Tigress, who again kicked it in. Nick spun into the room, his gun at the ready, but there was nobody there. Tigress walked into the room and looked around while Nick holstered his pistol.

"There's nobody here." He growled into his headset, "Jack, are you sure she was here?" Nick waited for a response, but all he heard was a low crackle of static.

"Jack?" He asked again, "Jack, are you there?" The door to the office slammed shut. Nick whirled around and whipped out his gun. Tigress assumed a ready stance. He tried the door and for the first time, he noticed the rubber sealing around the edges.

"I guess we're in the right place." Tigress commented, surveying the room for any sign of enemies.

"Yay." Nick replied, slapping his paw against the transponder, "Good for us." Tigress spun around as she heard a hiss coming from the air vent and a white gas began to leak out.

"Crap!" Nick swore, covering his snout with his arm, "Tigress, get away! And don't breathe it in!" Nick slapped the transponder again, hoping for some indication that it was working. Tigress backed away from the vent and attempted to kick the door down to no avail.

"Asha has us trapped in the back room of our warehouse!" Nick shouted into his headset, "There's some type of gas being pumped into the room!" Once again, there was no answer. Nick yanked off the headset and threw it against the wall in frustration.

"Any luck?" He asked Tigress as she tried to batter the door down.

"No." She grunted, "It won't give." Nick put a paw against the wall to steady himself, Tigress swimming before his eyes.

 _"Not again."_ He thought, his legs wobbling beneath him.

Tigress looked over as the black clad fox crumpled to the floor.

"Nick!" She shouted, leaning down to pick him up, "Are you—" She coughed as the gas found its way into her lungs and collapsed next to the fox, unable to hold out any longer.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! I just have a few things before I leave you alone. First of all, now that it's summer, I hope to be able to get this story done faster. Thank you all for your patience and continued support despite my sporadic updates. Secondly, the story is winding down. The end is near (but we're not quite there yet). Third, if you're reading this story and like it, please just let me know somehow. I like reading all comments, even if they just say something like, "this is good, I like it," I appreciate it. So if anyone feels that way, just let me know. Uhhh, there's not much else. If you want to check out some of the other things I've written that'd be awesome too (I know, shameless self-plug). Anyways, thank you all for reading! See you next chapter!**


	10. I Haven't Abandoned This

Hey guys, I'm sorry I've taken so long to give an update of any kind. Really, I didn't want to say anything until I had something concrete to give you, but now it's been almost two months since I updated and I have to at least say something. I have **not** abandoned this story. I've stated before that I wouldn't and I really don't plan on it. At this point, I've given you guys so many excuses that you most likely know them all. To summarize: I'm busy. I have work and other things and I also like to have time for myself, and since it's the summer, I've been having lots of "me time." Finding time to write has been tough, and when I have had time, I've been working on a different story that I started in May (The Little Merbunny). Basically, I bit off a little bit more than I could chew. I'm not a fan of shifting between stories as I write, so it's turned into a matter of finish one and move onto the other, and I am close to finishing. I estimate that I've only got a max of 2 chapters left in TLM and I'm working on finishing that up right now. After that, I estimate I've only got about two chapters left in this story as well. I have to move into college for Freshman year on August 23 and classes start on the 28th. My goal is to have both of my ongoing stories wrapped up by that point. I am truly sorry for dragging this out for so long. I started this story on a whim on New Years Eve, based off of one idea. As I mentioned at that time, I didn't have any experience in writing longer things and consequently, I didn't have an overall plan for the story. I'd like to believe that as the story has progressed, my writing has improved and my planning has gotten better, but I guess I'll just have to wait until the end to find out. If you're reading this and you've stuck with my story throughout all the sporadic updates, flaws, and (hopefully) improving writing, thank you, sincerely. I'll see you all next update :)


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